Drink Up Me Hearties
by Shattered Serenity
Summary: I get trapped and captured. I get pushed on some deserted island where I meet a creepy guy by the name of Tom. I get shoved into a strange relationship that has yet to bloom, and I know it rages more than the sea itself does. And...I'm home.
1. Bloody Royals!

A/N: Hello! I probably shouldn't be starting on a new story, but I suddenly had this idea-and trust me, I tried to avoid writing the story. But my idea just wouldn't go away. Just my luck, too.

Summary: Lily, pirate extraordinaire, decides to raid a small town off the coast of England. No rapes, no captives; that's her motto. Too bad her crew did both. JxL. R&R!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would be a billionaire… maybe. I have no idea how much money JKR makes.

Chapter One: Bloody Royals!

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I, Lily Marie Evans, smiled proudly at the sight before me. Elise, my only other female accompaniment on this blasted ship, was moodily scrubbing the deck while muttering to herself. Adam, my best mate and second in command, was ordering around the other crew members, occasionally pointing to random objects. Irdon, my cook, was bustling around the deck, trying to find a certain ingredient to make the "perfect dinner for tonight". 

Satisfied, I turned back towards the ship's wheel, my black vest flapping in the wind and my curly, red hair bellowing out behind me. I was the captain of _The Avenger_, and I was damn proud of it. Nothing could stop me from doing what I wanted to do; not the soldiers, not the royals. And if one can get past the royals, then hell, they can get past anyone. Damn royals; they think they are better than everyone else. I especially hate the prince of England: Charles Wedower.

He is cocky, rude, selfish and a complete prat. Yes, I met him once, when I was a royal. I used to be a princess, but everyone thinks that Princess Lillian is dead, and that's the way I want to keep it. No more balls and wearing corsets for me. Corsets are the worst, trust me, they choke the living daylights out of you if you aren't careful. And the maids! You say, "No thank you. That is quite enough." And they keep doing what they were doing or keep asking you what you truly want and to not be ashamed since you are the _princess_ after all. As if royals are some kind of god. I snorted; they were far from it. Conniving, heartless liars is what "folk of the higher standard" are.

"Miss Evans! Miss Evans!" A boy that I had picked out somewhere along the coast of Africa said to me in a desperate voice. In Africa he had begged for me to give him a chance to board _The Avenger_ to the point that he practically got down on his hands and knees. His name was Jared I believe.

"Yes, Jared. What 'tis it?" I asked patiently, looking down at my compass once more to see if I was continuing to go North. For my plan was to go to the coast of England and raid their ports, as the Americans once did.

"Elliot…he fell ma'am!" Jared sputtered out, leaning on his knees for support and breathing hard.

I quickly turned towards the African American and put my hand on his shoulders, giving him a serious stare. Elliot was my best watchful eye and I couldn't afford to lose him, especially now. "I want you to keep the ship going North while I go help Elliot. Do you think you can do that for me?" I asked him patiently, as I always was with him.

Jared nodded quickly and took the compass out of my hand, still breathing hard. "I can do that miss. Please go help Elliot!"

I smiled slightly at him and turned towards where I heard Adam yelling for me. "I'm coming Adam!" I yelled back, running at full speed towards my wounded crewmate. Skidding to a halt beside Elliot on my knees, I gently lifted his head up and pushed the blonde hair out of his emerald eyes. "What happened Elliot?" I asked softly.

Suddenly his forest green eyes opened wide, and his mouth was mouthing words that I had not the knowledge to know. I was raised to have a fair education, but I had left the royal shenanigan at the age of eight-teen, leaving with some education; enough that I had abilities to get by. I was more street smart than book smart.

"Elliot, you need to talk." Adam said commandingly, gently wiping the cut that now adorned Elliot's head.

"I saw…" Elliot began, his eyes still wide open. "I saw the _Black Ship_. It was coming our way and I tried to call out to another mate. While I was doing that, the damned ship blasted a cannon towards my post and almost hit me but I jumped down in time. I saved my own life, Miss Evans! My own life!" He ranted.

"Yes you did. Now I'm going to have Elise take you back to your bunk and your going to get some rest, okay?" I said to him in a commanding voice, gently lifting him up towards the black haired woman that had finished scrubbing the floors.

Adam approached me after Elliot was taken back to his bunk in the bow of the ship. "Do you believe him? About the _Black Ship_ I mean. Surely that thing wouldn't just pop up out of nowhere in the middle of broad daylight!" My best mate said, his gray eyes looking at me with a hidden expectancy of an answer.

I sighed; I could not even give myself one. "I'm sorry. This riddle I must think about. The _Black Ship_ hasn't been seen for years! Years! And then it shows up to attack poor Elliot? Maybe Elliot has gone insane; only keeping watch and doing nothing else can make you have some hallucinations."

"You would know." Adam muttered to me, his ebony hair getting ruffled by the breeze. "Do you remember when you hallucinated that you were sword fighting your father? That was bloody hilarious! You were drunk, but-"

"Okay, I get the point, Adam." I said crossly, giving my best mate a dry look. "Oh! Do you remember when you made that bet that you could take four ladies to bed _at once_. Once the found out they smacked your jet black haired head right out the door. And it was even a hore house too! Imagine that; you got rejected by horse!" Laughing at my own joke, I realized no one else had been listening to our conversation to laugh with me so I quickly covered my laughs into a coughing. Several crewmembers looked at me weirdly and asked if I was alright.

"Hardy bloody har. Very funny, Miss Evans. Not taking into account when you wanted us to murder the whole blood line of the England royals."

"Well…they deserve it! Bloody royals." I said defiantly, looking up into Adam's stormy orbs.

"I'm sure…" He trailed, looking at me with uncertain etched into his voice and face. "I'll just go over here now; you know, take care of this side of the boat, eh?" My best mate said, leaving me to roll my eyes at his retreating back.

A Hispanic boy ran up to me; he was about the age of Jared: sixteen. His name was Juan if I remembered correctly and he helped Jared run errands and make sure the boat doesn't get stolen when we are on raids. "Miss Evans, we are reaching England, but a small English island is just up ahead, and the boys wanted to know if we could raid that too." With his black hair and dark eyes, Juan was the perfect image of tall, dark, and handsome.

"Do they now? And you say this is an English island, correct?" I asked, rubbing my chin in thought. If it was an English island then we will raid it.

"Correct. It is too close to the English borders to not be under English control." Juan informed me. He was a smart boy; why would he want to be a pirate? Lack of adventure in his life? What a shame; but I knew how that felt. Being a royal, I got to do absolutely nothing on my own. I was always aided; my maids saying that I was "too delicate to handle such matters". Right, my ass. They would probably scream at me for becoming a pirate, but they thought I was dead, so who cares?

"Then let's strip it's land dry!" I stated, new vigor flowing through my veins. I really did love my boys; they were the only closest thing I have to family, whether I like it or not. But I knew that I loved having them around; when they were drunk…let's just say we now have some times to laugh about.

Minutes later, _The Avenger_, my baby ship, boarded the shores of what Juan found out to be called Gilligan. Such a queer name for an island. Especially one by England; I thought the name would be more…sophisticated. Whoever named this place as drunk out of their minds, no doubt.

I jumped off my ship, landing gracefully on the soft sand. Tall coconut trees lined the borders of the island, but there was one path leading straight through the island and I assumed to go that way to reach the village. We walked through the dense path, strange animals scurrying before us. Some crewmembers knew their animals; they could name any animal we saw off the top of their heads. Well, at least Nicholas and Juan could.

Nicholas was the smart one, so it was no surprise that he knew the animal's names. He had dark red hair and crystal blue eyes, making it seem as if we were related. Even I myself sometimes thought of him as a long lost brother. Nick was the same age as me, and we both had freckles; not a very common trait one sees now-a-days.

"I'm hungry! We'd better find this village soon!" Eric, officially labeled as the pirate that complains the most on our ship, whined out of pure boredom.

"Will you be bloody quite for at least fifteen more minutes, Eric?" Adam said, turning his head slightly towards Eric and giving him the "death glare", as I had named the look that burned holes through everyone's eyes except mine. Being Adam's best mate definitely had its perks.

"No, because we've been walking for a fucking hour and haven't found anything!" Eric spoke once more; he was now getting on my nerves.

I spun around to have emerald bore into chocolate depths, "Would you rather me leave you to die and rot?"

Eric gulped, his brown orbs showing genuine fear. Good, an excellent captain should be able to strike fear in their crewmates; even if they are close to the captain. "No ma'am." He stated, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Bloody hell, kid! You're going to get us killed one day." Elise said, sword out and ready. "With that big mouth of yours, we never know what will hear your loud voice and pop out to kill us!" She rolled her dark blue eyes at Eric, turning around once more to continue the trail.

When Elise had turned around, Eric started to mimic her, waving his hands in the air stupidly. He got to the part where Elise had said "big mouth of yours" before he got a smack from Adam who was getting annoyed. Eric moaned in pain and rubbed the bump that was forming before glaring at the back of my best mate's head.

For a good fifteen minutes more we walked until we finally came upon a village large enough to pillage. Regular sized houses were scattered around the village; large palm trees outlined the border of the village. I could see the excitement in my crew's eyes as they scanned the area. Then, my emerald orbs landed on something that disturbed me greatly. Instinctively, I pulled out my sword and dropped down behind the bushes the blocked the village's vision of us.

"What's the matter?" Adam hissed to me, obviously annoyed at the delay.

"The fucking British army is here. Why the hell did we come? Who didn't see this?" I whispered feverishly, glaring at each of my crewmates that were with me.

"Um…it was actually me, Lily." Nick said sheepishly. "I didn't know the British army were going to be here; I apologize." Just my luck that the smart one was the one that got us in shit. Fabulous.

"I suppose we will have to make due with what we have now. We will still pillage. Remember-no raping, no hostages. Got it?" I whispered to them. They nodded and I unsheathed my second sword. "Okay. On three. One. Two. Three!"

We were out of those bushes faster than you could say "banshee" and we ran at the guards full speed. I got to the guards first, and they drew their swords on me.

"What do we have here? A female pirate? My day just keeps getting better and better!" A soldier said to me, and anger boiled deep within my veins. I lunged at him and before he could react I stabbed him in his throat, blood dripping from his wound. Snorting at the impudence of men, I quickly moved on to my next victim before entering the first house I could get to.

When I entered I saw a mother protectively holding her newborn child. "Go, you filthy pirate! Leave my home alone! And don't you dare touch my newborn!" She cried out to me, cuddling the bundle in her arms even closer. I looked down at the blood stained swords that I held in my hands. As if I was sickened by the sight of them, I sheathed them and got down on my knees before the woman.

"I promise you: I will make sure not one more of my men step foot into your house or even by your property." I swore to her. This woman needed all the help she could get; I did not see a father around, so I assumed she was a single mother. Not an easy thing to be when your little island is in debt. I suddenly felt guilty for deciding to raid this island. No, I cannot feel regret; I'm a pirate for bloody sake! "I bid you good day, and a good, happy rest of your life ma'am." I said before exiting and looking around me.

Adam was no where to be seen, but he soon came out of what I assumed was one of the richer man's houses he arms laden with jewels and gold. Elise was having fun killing off the guards and making bets with Juan to see who could kill the most. Nick was being the judge and counting the dead bodies that littered the ground. Eric-even though he is a complainer-was actually making himself worthwhile as he came out of a hut with a golden crown on his head and intricate rings adorning his fingers.

I felt a burning sensation cut through my arm, and I spun around to meet the most gorgeous man I had ever met. Clutching my arm as blood poured out of it, I examined his features, paying no heed to my wound. His hair was dark and messy, but so sexy at the same time. He had piercing hazel eyes that were leering at me right now. Smiling sheepishly at him for getting caught, I unsheathed my swords and bowed down to show my sign of respect from him.

He returned it before making the first move. The dark haired man spun around and tried to vertically slash at me, but I blocked his attack with expertise. My dark brown boots worked over the ground as I spun around him and held the blade to his neck. I had won already.

"Such a shame." I whispered in his ear as he struggled to get out of my grasp. "I do hope you work on your parrying skills before we meet again." And with that, I released him and called off the attack to go back to the ship.

The hazel eyed man just watched us as we left, taking everything with us that we could find. I did not mention the incident with the young woman in the hut with the baby; they would have thought I was going soft.

When we finally reached our destination, I had Nicholas configure how much money we had earned.

"We earned about ten thousand bucks." Nick informed us.

Eric's face turned up in what I supposed what either disgust or disappointment. "We did all that for ten thousand bucks? What a rip off."

"Be happy with what you have. Remember that always, Eric." Adam said, tapping his blood stained sword on the top of the brunette's head. He swatted the offending object away as Adam chuckled.

"COME ON YOU GUYS! MOVE YOUR SCRAWNY ASSES AND GET THIS SHIP MOVING!" I yelled to my crew, and they all scurried about getting the ship ready for take off once more. It wasn't long before we were out to sea again, and I breathed in the fresh, salty ocean air.

A cool, metal feeling was against my neck and I smelt a masculine smell behind me. "Miss me?" I immediately recognized the voice to belong to the dark haired man.

"With every second we were apart." I said before I elbowed him in the rib cage, hearing at least a few bones crack. He released me and I quickly turned around to face him, sword drawn. "By the way, my name is Lily; Lily Evans."

As the man was gasping for air he nodded. When he finally caught his breath he said, "I'm James; James Potter. That was a hearty welcome, but now that I'm on your ship, you can help me mend all the bones you broke in my ribcage."

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A/N: So you like? You hate? Tell me in a review please! If I don't get reviews, then I don't update. A basic policy. Lol. 

Bonjour my lovely readers! And my awesome future reviewers, if there will be any ;)

-Shattered Serenity-


	2. Fraternizing With the Enemy

A/N: Thank you all that reviewed! I love you all. J Don't worry; the romance will come very soon. ;) Hope you all enjoy this one. I loved writing this story so much that I updated in a day! Which is very unusual for me. So feel special, lol.

_Review reponses are at the bottom._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form, but I DO own this plot and the extra characters I added in it!**_

**Chapter Two: Fraternizing With the Enemy**

* * *

I narrowed my emerald eyes at him. "You believe that you are welcome on my ship? Bull shit!" I snapped at him. What right did he have coming on my precious _Avenger_? And then to ask for _help_?

"I believe that as long as I am on your ship, you should show me some sign of kindness." James retorted. I snorted and rolled my eyes at him. He was a sissy soldier; no doubt.

"I give no help to soldiers." I snarled as I spat at his boots. "Soldiers have never given me help; why should I return it? Put him in the dungeon!" I turned towards Elise as he was being dragged away. "Make sure he gets some medical attention. I don't care who does it."

The black haired woman nodded. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to do it captain. Everyone else is busy and Adam can take your place while you are in the dungeon; he is very capable."

"I know that." I hissed at her, anger evident in my voice. "You know how I have a feud with the English and their damn soldiers! I will probably kill the man before he has a chance to heal!"

Elise gave me an amused glance. "You would kill such a handsome thing? Nay, your heart would soften." She slightly smiled at me as I glared at her.

"My heart does not soften." I said, trying to mimic Adam's death glare. How I wanted to burn holes in Elise's eyes at that very moment.

Instead of being afraid, she laughed. Laughed! I must be losing my touch… "I saw you in that hut, Miss Evans. No pulling the wool over my eyes."

I looked at her in horror. "You didn't tell anyone did you? If you did-"

"Calm down, captain. Of course I didn't. But I now know that our captain has a soft side! Imagine! Lily Evans!" She was talking as if I wasn't there while I stood looking at her blankly. "The once princess! Oh my… Lillian's mother must be devastated."

My forest green eyes widened in a mixture of shock and panic. "You… you know about that also? How? When?"

Elise's sea blue eyes twinkled mischievously as she said, "Did you think a boat popped out of nowhere for you when you ran away?"

And with that she walked away, leaving me to gape at her back. "Holy shit." I whispered, unable to get over that Elise had helped in my escape. True, I saw the boat conveniently right where I whispered to Adam I was running away to. I had seen Elise on _The Avenger_, and when I boarded she automatically called me captain. Not wanting to be caught, I went along with the plan, saying that she should set for sail. As least that is what I hoped I said.

I remember that a few moments later Adam came on board saying "If you're going to leave, you're never going to make it without me". And he was one-hundred percent correct. He had saved my ass too many times to count.

"Lily? Do you even remember who you are? Hello?" Adam waved a hand in front of my face, making me jump as my memories ended. My best mate grinned at me, apparently amused. "So as I was saying, capin', is that we should head out of these waters since we do now have a fugitive. I believe it is best for us just to leave him out somewhere on the shores on the Caribbean. That way the cannibals can get 'im."

"Ah yes, blasted cannibals. Do you remember when they tried to cook me because they thought I was an overgrown carrot? And all because of my red hair that doesn't even look orange! I think they were color blind." I said, unconsciously smiling as I remembered how the cannibals had done a ritual carrot god dance in front of me.

"Most likely. I saved your ass on that one saying that because you were an overgrown carrot, you were poisonous to eat." Adam glanced down at me, good willed humor set in his stormy gray eyes.

"And I think I have thanked you more than you deserve." I stated, looking up at him defiantly.

"I'm sure. So what are you going to do about the captive, eh?"

"I think I'm going to make him walk the plank! I've always wanted to do that since I was about two. You know how toddler's played with dolls? Well I played with wooden planks."

"Very attracting I must say. But it is a bit clichéd to have him walk the plank; don't you think?"

"Maybe a bit, but it has been my dream since the age of _two_, and I'm going to do it. Now if you will please excuse me, I must go check on our captive. Do take up the place of captain in my absence, hmm?"

"Of course, milady." Adam replied before I punched him in the arm forcefully. Satisfied when he was complaining and rubbing the spot where I hit him, I continued to walk over my ship until under the bow in the dungeons.

Little light came through the darkened room, but I could still dimly see the outlines of the objects. A shame I didn't bring a candle so I could look upon James' face once more. He was good looking, but an _English_ soldier nonetheless.

The metal plate that allowed for air in the room cast square lights on the floor and I walked under them so James could see my profile better.

"Is it isn't the captain of this damned ship Lily Evans. How are you faring, Evans?" James drawled amusement still in his eyes despite the conditions he was in. The dark haired man inched closer to me, even having the nerve to slightly touch my shoulder. His hazel eyes roamed my body hungrily before landing upon my face once more.

"You are to call me master or captain, Potter." I hissed at James, but it did not scare him. In fact, he looked even more amused. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" He countered while I could hear him try to choke back a chuckle. James stepped even closer to me and I took one step back. This was not the way it was supposed to be go. This situation had been flip flopped to where I was the guppy and James was the piranha. The more I backed up, the more he stepped forward to me. As we played our game of cat and mouse, I felt my body touch the stone walls of the dungeon and my stomach knotted uncomfortably. What was he to do?

Before long his whole body weight was pressed against mine and I could feel the shape of his abs underneath his thin white shirt. His hazel eyes locked into my emerald ones and I was determined to wait this duel out until he stopped staring at me. My eyes burned from the sensation of not blinking, but I pushed the thought out of my mind. Blinking would mean losing to James. A few seconds later the black haired man softly chuckled and shook his head, placing it atop my shoulder. I could feel his hot breath through the thin material of my white shirt, and I squirmed uncomfortably underneath his ministrations.

"Do not tell me you feel nothing right now. Because I do." James said as he pulled his messy dark haired head back to look me in the eyes.

I tried to stop the sensation in my stomach. "What a shame; your feelings are wasted on me."

"You are a very defiant woman aren't you? You're the kind that will never let a man into her heart because of past…experiences."

"It is my own business to know what has gone on in my past life."

"But yet, your body screams to be touched in all the right places; a man's touch, that is."

"Stop it." I said, trying to douse the rising flame inside of me.

"Hmm…but I am doing nothing wrong."

"You're trying to seduce me."

His hazel eyes filled with feigned shock. "I am doing no such thing. Just talking to a…friend I suppose I could call you."

"I am no friend of an Englishman, especially one such as yourself."

"But you do not deny that you feel something, and it is burning right…here." James said as he took his hand and gently placed it atop where my heart was beating.

"I told you," I said through clenched teeth. "I feel nothing when I am around you; just a loathing so unbearable I could cut out your throat." Captains were not allowed to have affairs with their captives. It was an invisible rule that was set in every captain's mind.

"Nay; I believe it to be something else." James gently said, his gaze on the hand that still rested above my heart beat. Eventually, his hazel eyes met mine once more and the hand the rested on my heartbeat came to rest on my cheek softly. Hazel met emerald as he locked eyes with me once more.

James gently kissed me on the bottom lip. When I did nothing to hurt him, he kissed it again and this time I responded by kissing him full force. I knew I had surprised him, but I wanted so bad to get lost in his mouth. Making the move of asking for entrance to his mouth, he willingly opened his mouth to my warm tongue. Our tongues met in a frenzied dance and I felt a power of desire wash over me like bathwater. His tasted was intoxicating to the point where I almost drowned myself in James' mouth before I had to pull away for breath.

I was brought back to reality as James started to apply butterfly kisses to my neck. Suddenly, I forcefully pushed him off of me as he started to laugh on the ground. I was confused; he was laughing when I had pulled away? Then he spoke, "I was wondering when you would realize I was seducing you to get out of this damned cell. Anger peaked in my veins and I took a shaky breath to calm myself down. How I wanted to pluck out his gorgeous hairs one by one and then feed him to the sharks.

"Stop laughing at me." I pulled my blade and stepped forward so my sword was on his neck. "I will cut your throat and throw you to the sharks if you keep disrespecting me."

I could not see his eyes at the moment, but oh, how I wished I could. Thinking about how I would see fear in his eyes-maybe even terrified of a female pirate speaking this way to him!-my thoughts were abolished as he started to speak in a humorous voice.

"So you will kill me then, won't you? You will regret it; I saw you in that woman's hut while I was fighting…what was her name? Ellen? Elise?"

"Did bloody everyone on this whole fucking ship see that? And that is why you aren't afraid of me?"

"No, it is just the fact that you're a woman, honestly." The second he finished I felt a white hot anger fill my veins. Getting so agitated that I was almost choking him with the pressure I was putting on his neck from my sword, I swiftly got up and punched James square in the jaw with my free fist.

"Don't you ever again disrespect me because I am a woman." I snarled at him, and I was sure that he could see my emerald eyes blazing with anger in the dim lighting.

James rubbed his jaw and wiped off the blood that adorned his nose. "Oh, trust me, I know you are a woman. My eyes have studied your body far too long to even think about seeing you as a man. I hope you can help me with those injuries too, _captain_."

Had he learned nothing? What kind of man would treat his superior this way? On _their_ ship when they have _your_ life in _their_ hands? What a complete fool. Getting more agitated by the second just being in his presence, I swiftly brought my sword down upon his cheek, leaving a gash that ranged from the bridge of his nose to his ear lobe.

"I hope that scars you." I kicked him in the ribs, knowing that would hurt him most, and exited without another word.

"Elise!" I called to the older woman, wiping the blood off my sword as I walked towards my quarters.

The black haired female came up behind me, trying to keep up with my fast pace. A look of horror crossed her pale face as she watched me clean up the blood. "You struck him didn't you?" Elise said, shaking her head. "We are going to have to heal whatever you did to him, too. You do realize that he now will tell people of our identities if he escapes when we are landed."

"You don't think I already thought of that?" I stopped walking and turned towards Elise. My sudden movement caused her to bump into me, but she quickly recovered. "I need to blow off some steam. You take care of him for now. I have plans for him in the future; he will learn to respect woman and his superiors."

Elise looked hesitant at my order, but I clapped in front of her face to get her to move. Frowning at me with disapproval, she said, "Do not forget that I have been with you from the beginning, Lily."

I watched her back as she retreated to complete my order. Guilt washed over me like a waterfall coming down upon a small flower, and I sighed while tilting my head back to the skies. Elise had always been there for me. She was my only emotional support on _The Avenger_, all the other crewmembers being males. Come on, males wouldn't understand when "that time of the month" comes and I have horrible cramps. I tell Elise and she automatically-I don't even have to tell her to do it-she calls for Adam and tells him I'm ill and that he must take over. I really do love that girl. The soft movements of the clouds brought a calm sensation to me until I heard some beside me; my reverie was broken.

"You can't strike a captive, Lily." Adam's voice vibrated through my ears. I closed my emerald green eyes, turning my head towards him before opening them once more.

"He is a prisoner, Adam. James should not receive any sympathy on this ship. And I won't be the one to give it to him. The bloody English man insulted me! He disrespects me because I am a female pirate! Now tell me that isn't a good enough reason to strike him." I argued, mentally knowing Adam would ask the same question he always did at times when I went on an angry rampage against the English.

"Why do you hate the English so?" His gray eyes pleaded with me to tell him. To finally open up the last piece of me that I kept secret from everyone.

"I just do." I said dismissively. My best mate raised a dark eyebrow at me before reluctantly walking away.

When was I going to tell him? Or for the most part anyone? Sometimes, I just wished everyone in the whole fucking world would know so I wouldn't have to keep it a secret. If one has secrets, then one must lie to keep them. Whatever the cost, I will keep that secret until I can find someone who won't judge me because of it. Who won't turn their back on me when they know. One who won't get down on their hands and knees in front of me because they find out I'm a princess.

I want to be treated normally. To be treated fairly is the best gift one can receive; in my opinion. My whole life up until the age of eighteen was planned out. It was planned out wisely, but everything in my opinion did not favor me. Getting married to Charles Wedower's son, Robert Wedower, was in the agenda. The deal was that Robert would have full power of my kingdom in return that England give Scotland half it's riches. My parents were stupid enough to agree to the deal, not considering how their eight year old daughter would react to it.

On my eighteenth birthday I was to be married to Robert and become Lillian Wedower. Too bad I ran away the night before my wedding.

_My foot dragged as I limped towards my destination. When I had went to climb out of the window I fell, spraining my ankle. With every step I took my injury throbbed and burned. Not to mention that I was dressed in peasant's clothes. I was happy to be in disguise even at twelve midnight. To imagine, people were still roaming the streets of Ireland! Silly people, they could get mugged at any moment, but it looked as if they did not care in the slightest bit._

_Looking around me to check no one was watching, I hurriedly passed through the dense, green bush that hid the passageway to a secret beach where I would be hiding out the rest of my life. Having no money concerned me little; that was how bad I wanted out of being a princess. _

_I finally had come to it. Two large boulder-like mountains enclosed the bay; soft, white sand glittering in the moonlight next to their tall bodies. The moon was high above the two mountains, and I breathed the salty air. The aroma immediately calmed the fast beat of my heart. I let my eyes wander until they rested upon a large ship with the words _The Avenger_ carved into the side of it. The ship was fairly large, reaching half way to the boulders' length. _

_A woman was busily working on the ship, and I could see her black hair even in the night. Limping over to the ship, I stared at it's dark mahogany sides in awe. What if I were to become a pirate? To break all laws and never again see the shores of Ireland? That…would definitely be a change from the prissy princess to the outlaw pirate. Inwardly, I smiled despite myself. How wonderful it would be to breath the ocean air every morning and night for the rest of my life._

_Timidly, I walked towards the large plank that connected the boat to the shore and was vaguely remembered how I once hit my maids on their heads with planks. Just because they wouldn't let me play pirate because I had a dress on; and oh no! I wouldn't want to ruin the dress now, would I?_

_The dark haired woman walked past the entrance once more and I took a shot at estimating she was about twenty; my two year elder. I cleared my throat in hopes to get her attention when she swiftly passed by the plank again. Surprised, the woman quickly turned towards me and I met her dark blue eyes._

"_Why it is nice to see you again, captain. Welcome aboard. I'm Elise by the way." The woman known as Elise welcomed me with open arms onto her ship, calling me captain over and over again. Asking me what I wanted to do; did we want to raid Ireland's castle? I politely told her no, and she pulled her head back and laughed._

"_Miss Evans, you're a pirate now; there is no need for politeness if you are to run a ship with other men aboard." Her dark eyebrows were raised, and her dark blue eyes held a mysterious twinkle in them. As if she knew something that I did not. Dismissing the thought right out of my head, I decided to go along with this plan. Deceiving Elise would be a small price to pay to get out of Ireland. _

"_Right; so let's get this ship-thing-moving. Somewhere." I lamely said, hoping she got my message._

"_Right away, capin'." Elise happily said, saluting me as I limped to the edge of the boat and tiredly sat down. "And we'll need to get you something for that ankle, miss!" She called back to me, her back turned to fixing the sails._

"_Lillian Marie Evans! You will go nowhere without me!" I immediately recognized the voice as Adam and turned around half way to look down upon him._

_After a few moments of silence, I rolled my emerald eyes at him. "Well? Are you coming aboard or not, second in command?"_

"_Second in command? What? Lily, you barely know how to ride a horse much less command a ship." He retorted, crossing his arms across his chest and planting his feet firmly on the ground._

"_Hey! That horse went ballistic on its own! I did nothing wrong! Besides, what could be the worse that could happen? We run into the _Black Ship_? Come now, Adam. Get aboard or we-Elise and I-will leave you behind." I stated, having to slightly yell to him._

_Adam looked anxious for a few seconds before we heard, "That's an affirmative captain! We would leave his ass on the dirt if he doesn't decide to come." I grinned roguishly at Elise. A new Lily was coming forth; a rebellious one, and I liked it._

"_Listen, I'm leaving Ireland, and if you were my true best mate you would follow me to the end of the Earth and back!" _

_His gray eyes narrowed at Elise while she simply shrugged before returning his gaze towards me. We stared at each other before he finally sighed and held his hands out to the night sky. "Why, God? Why me? Why did I have to have the rebellious best friend? WHY!" And without saying another word, Adam trudged up onto the ship's deck, looking at me with despair. "I'm leaving the only home I have ever known, so if I die, please send my body back here."_

"_Don't think about death right now. Think about a new beginning and how much fun we will have! This life will be totally opposite of what our other lives were like!" Excitement shown in my eyes as despair filled his gray pools of emotion._

"_Our life where we were rich, powerful, happy-"_

"_Ah, but I wasn't."_

_He gave me a sorrowful glance. "You don't count."_

_I playfully smacked him, but a little too hard I assume because he whined and rubbed his arm. Recovering he said, "You hit like a girl."_

_Immediately, I stood up, forgetting about my injury and the white hot pain that resided there. "I may hit like a girl, but you hit like a sissy."_

"_Ouch, touché Captain Lily Evans."_

"_Captain Lily Evans." I repeated out loud and in my head over and over again. "I like the sound of that."_

* * *

A/N: Did you like it? Absolutely despised it? Tell me about it in a review or call 1-800-imtoolazytoreviewsoidecidedtocallthisnumberinstead. Long number, but bear with me. In my opinion, clicking the purple little button is quite easier. ;) I usually don't update after one day, so you all are lucky. Haahahahaha. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

**Jingle-Bellz-ROCK-** Holy shiznik! Are you serious! That's sweet! I wish I had a great, great, yada yada yada lol grandma pirate. -sigh- But I am related to Erick the Red. If you have even heard of him. Lolol.

**Wannabe.Band.Geek.**- Thank you.:D Here's the update!

**Flamez Blazel-** Yay! Someone likes it! ;)

**Gwen-** Thank you. I appreciate your review. :D

**Emeraldred'Obsession-** Thank you, it means a lot to me. ;) Awesome pen name by the way. :D

**ProngsiesxLilyxFlower-** Awww, cute pen name; I like it. I love pirate stories too! Especially ones with romance in them. ;) Pirate stories are great fun to write.

**Writersrus05-** haha, I like your pen name. My hair is in a somewhat sloppy bun already. :P


	3. Of Betrayals and Battles

A/N: Hoho! I updated. What do you think of them apples? Right, well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was particularly hard to write. I think I'm coming down with writer's block. Uh oh.

**_Disclaimer:_** Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own Harry Potter, and neither do you!

_Review responses are at the bottom._

**Chapter Three: **Of Betrayals and Battles

* * *

Sirius Black stood on the deck of his ship grinning out to sea. The _Black Ship_, as people tended to call it, had gone from his father's hands into his. He had been on this ship all his life, being born from his mother on a remote island. With his almost all-black attire, Sirius looked stunning in his old, yet still classy outfit. His mate, who was currently in second command, stepped beside him.

"Do you think we will catch them?" Remus asked Sirius with an eyebrow cocked.

"Of course we will! The _Black Ship_ has never failed in a chase down!" The captain said, glancing at Remus irately. "Do you think my Pop carried this ship over the centuries to me if he just wanted-"

"-to have its title stripped off its wooden planks?" Remus finished for him, giving Sirius an amused glance while the latter scoffed.

"Well…exactly." The black haired pirate finished for himself lamely. He really needed to make sure he didn't repeat his lectures too often anymore… "You really believe that Princess Lillian is on that ship? Red hair and everything?"

It was Remus' turn to give Sirius an irritated glance. "Of course it was! I saw her red hair and I knew that she had run away instead of being killed. Putting two and two together-"

"Makes ten?" Sirius asked, obviously amused at his own joke.

Remus gave his captain a dry look. "No. Not really."

The pirate captain laughed and slapped his crewmate on the back. "Don't get your kickers in a twist now."

"Who said I was wearing knickers?" The sandy-blonde haired man asked amusedly.

Sirius removed his hand, disgust written on his features. "Get some bloody protection on, mate!"

"Protection? Whatever for? We are in the middle of a sea, Sirius."

"It is still captain to you."

"Fine, _captain_, I will have you know-"

But before Remus could continue a man clearing his throat interrupted the two. They both looked up to see a light haired man with periwinkle eyes that sparkled with happiness and unease at the same time. "Mr. Sirius; Mr. Remus." The man known as Paul bowed to them. Paul was the _Black Ship_'s sightseer of enemy ships, or ships they were tracking down. "We have sighted _The Avenger_ not far from here, sir."

Sirius grinned mischievously at his friend. "Do you think he has-"

"-yet to complete his mission? Of course! It has only been a bloody week!"

* * *

I saw James wake up from his afternoon nap that he so graciously accepted from us. His hazel eyes went back into focus and they landed upon me.

"Why my dear Lily! I haven't seen you for about a week! How are you commanding your ship, hmm?" He asked, amused that he would be asking a woman that question.

I said nothing but sent him a glare full of hatred. With a loud echo thundering through the dungeon walls, I threw his metal tray of food at him. It really was a pity to find Irdor treating James so nicely. My ship's cook would actually scrounge up some meat for him! Even while I told Irdor to stop feeding him so nicely and let him have stale bread and cheese, that damned cook did not stop treating James like a guest. "I do hope you enjoy your food." I snarled out. My tone betrayed my words.

James raised a skeptical eyebrow my way. "I do hope so, too. But it would be even better if a captain with a stick stuck up her ass would let a prisoner have some alone time to eat."

I snorted. "Too bad that isn't going to happen anytime soon."

"Are you stalking me now, Miss Evans?" The black haired man said while picking up a piece of ham leisurely.

I let out a sound of disgust as he openly showed me the chewed up food in his mouth. "I would not become attracted to you if you paid me one million pounds."

"Not even great sex, too?"

Right. Like I was going to have sex with an Englishman. "In your dreams."

"Damn, I thought that was the one thing that would lure you in most, seeing as how you seem to have no romantic connections with your other crewmates."

"Like you would be romantic?" I said, sarcasm dripping from my every word. "You would take me out to dance on the ship's deck in the moonlight? I doubt it."

"Ah, but Miss Lily-"

"-it is captain or master to you-" I interjected.

"-you take for granted the one thing that I can give you: passion." James said as if I had not said anything at all.

"Passion!" I cried out, throwing my hands in the air. "What do bloody Englishmen know about passion? Much less romance?" I let out a cruel laugh. "Nay, men do not understand love."

James looked down at his half eaten meal in thought. "But they can learn."

"Trust me, in all my years of experiencing the English man, they will never learn." Barely giving myself enough time to finish my sentence I left the small, dark room.

"LILY!" Boomed Adam, coming across the deck at a hastened pace. He finally reached me, gasping for air. "Elliot has seen the _Black Ship _again. They are headed this way."

Everything seemed to stop in front of me. The _Black Ship_? Wasn't that ship some legend to keep children in bed at night? My heart beat rapidly against my chest. Horrible rumors of the _Black Ship_ returning had reached my ears, but like a fool, I had ignored them; casting them off as a person who must have misheard.

"It…" I chocked out. "JUAN! JARED! PUT THE SAILS AT FULL SPEED! ELISE, GET THE OTHER MATES READY FOR BATTLE, AND GET THE CANNONS READY! ELLIOT, TELL ME WHEN THAT DAMNED SHIP GETS CLOSE ENOUGH TO SHOOT CANNONS AT IT! NICK, GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS UP ON THIS DECK AND FIGURE OUT OUR BATTLE PLANS!" My emerald gaze turned towards my best mate. "Adam, go lock up James and make sure he has no chance of escaping on this ship. These pirates will kill him if he is to be captured."

"Aye, cap' in." Adam drawled out. He really was a queer fellow at times.

Elaine was doing exactly what I had told her. On top of things, that girl is. Seeing as to everyone was doing what they were suppose to, I paced over to the ropes and started tugging on them. Blasted things, they wouldn't budge. I scowled as I took one final pull on the ropes. Alas, the sails came crashing down and the wind immediately picked up the line material.

"The bloody wanker refused to be tied down until the captain came down. I think we should have done the cliché of making him walk the plank and chanting obscurities." Adam's voice floated through my ears.

"_See? _I hate to say it, but, I told you so, mate." I said to Adam, shaking my head sadly as he shrugged it off.

The dim lighting in the dungeon did nothing for my mood. "Potter." I greeted none too affectionately.

"Captain." James returned with just as much dispassion. "I can help you fight."

I tried to repress an urge to snort cruelly. James, the man that I had pinned down within a minute, fight to the death? Like bloody hell I was going to allow that. "No chance. Let's face it, you have no use. I had you cornered under a minute when you fought me."

"I pitied you. I will not pity these barbarians." Blood rushed to my face, and I was sure I resembled a tomato.

"Because I was a _woman_, right? Is that why you did not fight back? If that is so, you can bloody well count on it that you will not fight this battle."

"You won't win this, Lily. This ship is too strong for you."

"I do not need _you_ telling me what I can't do."

"Trust me just this once, _master_." James bit out sarcastically, and I felt an odd satisfaction that he knew who was in command here. I mused over letting him die here for the rest of his life while I was fighting. Nah.

"Well, just because you said master, I will let you fight. Do try to not get yourself killed."

"I wouldn't dream on it, Lils."

"_Don't call me that for the last time_." I ground out before proceeding on deck once more.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. A headache was coming on, and I particularly did not like headaches. Even worse, the _Black Ship_ was looming ever near us, its black sails flapping in the wind. Fabulous. Just what I wanted! To spend the day killing pirates worse than I. That was a real blow to the ego to find worse pirates than me out there. Sure, I had known it, but still, it brought my ego down a few notches. Though, my ego was not as bad as Mr. Men Are Better than Woman.

"INCOMING!" Was all I heard before a cannonball came crashing into my ship, leaving pieces of wood lying everywhere. Anger flooded my being as I looked at the debris. Did these bloody people realize how long it took for me to build this crew up? To build this ship successfully? Obviously the _Black Ship_ was controlling by a stupid git who inherited his ship. Probably from some rich royal. My thoughts played on the famous royal with Black as a last name would own that ship. Nah. No royal would risk there clean little fingers.

Another cannonball connected with my ship, only fueling my anger. I lost my balance and ended up having to stagger to a wooden pillar to support myself. My head was dizzy from the headache just kicking in. A furious growl escaped my throat. Half because of the stupid headache that I now had, and the other half because they were destroying _my_ precious ship.

"PREPARE THE CANNONS!" I yelled vehemently.

I stalked over to the other end of the deck, snatched up the telescope from an unsuspecting Elliot, and furiously whipped the telescope (yes, whipped) to my eye. The _Black Ship_ was about three kilometers away. Just what I needed at the time. "Lily!" Adam called to me. What the bloody hell could it be now? Did Juan break his leg? Or did James suddenly break lose and kill all my crew? Fortunately, it was none of the above. "The cannons are ready!" Even better, I must say.

"Excellent." I said to myself rather than to anyone else. "GET THOSE CANNONS MOVING! I WANT TO SEE THREE SHOTS AT THAT SHIP IN LESS THAN THREE SECONDS!" Wow, I really shouldn't yell anymore with a headache.

Another cannonball whisked through my sails without mercy. Those bloody sails cost money! Good money I might add. "FIRE THE BLOODY CANNONS ALREADY!" What was taking those worthless people so long? Didn't they know that we had to WIN, and not STALL?

With content I watched my cannons shatter the pillar their sails stood upon. About time something happened in our favor. As I had expected, the _Black Ship_ moved closer and soon we were in range for sword to sword attack. I glanced around to see if my crew was ready. James was looking quite smug as the _Black Ship_'s men swung onto _The Avenger_, unsheathing their swords as they came.

I stabbed the first one that reached me. This was a good time to release the ever-growing fury that now rested inside of me. I lashed out at anything that moved in front of me. Blood stained my sword as I killed one after another. Mercy was beyond the stage I was in. I dimly saw Adam fighting four rather large looking men. They were slowly closing in on him.

As I made to aide him, an undeniably handsome man stepped in my way. "Hello there, my little flower." No one, and I mean NO ONE, had every called me by that nickname since I ran away. "Lily, I presume?"

"Look," I said, already irritated at the man's behavior, "either you fight me, or I have better things to do."

"As you wish, Lils." Before I could react properly we were engaged in a battle of wits, and skills of course. With a good back swing on his part that I narrowly dodged, I saw that Adam was struggling to fight off the four men. He had been doing quite well, but he needed help. "You are quite the little angry woman, aren't you?" His electric blue eyes danced merrily as if we were on a cruise.

"Naturally." I said before pivoting and swinging horizontally at the mysterious man. He blocked my attack with some difficulty. Our swords did not part as I leered at him. He only grinned in return. Oh how I wished my leer would bore two large holes right through his handsome blue eyes to the back of his black haired head. He abruptly leapt back, broke our gazing contest, and side stepped the next attack that I threw at him.

He looked around him, amused. "I believe your friend-Adam is it?-is currently being boarded onto the ship that I command. Such a shame that the second in command does not like him already."

Fury whirling around in my brain, I dismissed the idea that the _Black Ship_'s second in command already knew of Adam. My fist came into contact with the side of his face, and I could hear a few bones crack. Instead of crying of in pain as I had expected, the black haired man had the nerve to laugh.

"It was nice meeting you also, Lily darling."

What was up with men and their stupid pet names? It was quite annoying when a man I don't even know comes up to me and says, "'Ello there, princess." Men are so frustrating.

"Well, I do believe your dear friend will prove us much worth." He said through bloody teeth.

The man gave a sort of a giggle of glee. "We have what we want! Let's go!" A voice rang out over the battle. That voice… I had heard it somewhere…

My emerald gaze swiftly caught Adam being dragged off by one of the four men. I saw he had pegged two of them with his sword. His sea blue eyes captured mine. Adam lamely reached out a limp hand towards me while mouthing my name. The men were in a hurry to get him on their ship as far as I could tell.

"JAMES!" I called desperately. Don't ask me why I called to him; he was the one person that entered my mind first. Of course, considering what a _great_ day I was having, I got no answer. I decided it was not best to stand still for any longer. I charged across the flimsy wooden plank set between the two ships.

As I got across, I saw a glimpse of Adam. He was being carried below deck. Most likely to the torturing chamber, if this ship even had one. "ADAM!" I called out to him. Slashing at anything that was in my way, my feet pounded against the wooden floor of the _Black Ship_ as I bolted towards him.

I was hit by a danker smell as I entered the room blindly. My best mate was being placed in shackles.

My.

Best.

Mate.

Worry enveloped me as I saw all the cuts his face adorned. It was quite obvious Adam had put up a struggle and lost miserably.

"Adam!" I whispered, and the man chaining the object of my thoughts whirled around. He had sandy blonde hair and light brown eyes that, at the moment, held surprise and a hint of worry. Oh, that boy had a damn good reason to be worried. No one messes with Lily Evan's friends unless you want to be tortured slowly and painfully to death. And to treat my best mate like that? This boy had better expect to walk to plank to an ocean full of hungry deprived sharks waiting for some good meat.

"What are you doing here, Lily?" I heard a man say. Preferably, I heard _James_ say.

My eyes light up as I whirled around. "James! You must help me! Adam is going to die and-"

"He's not going to die, although I wish he would." James bit out scornfully, spitting on the battered body of Adam.

I gave him a shocked gaze. "Look, I know you two had a few trifles-"

"Trifles? You didn't realize that we competed for the one thing that we both wanted: the captain's affection. Remus," James continued without giving me time to contemplate what he had meant. "lock Miss Evans up along with her _dearest_ friend Adam."

* * *

A/N: Dun dun DUN DUN! I just love plot twists! So, did you love it? Absolutely hate it? Want to give me a nasty flame that I will laugh at and say thank you to? Well, then, please do go ahead and tell me in a review! To all my cute, sweet reviewers:

**Molly-** Thank you!

**ProngsiesxLilyxFlower-** Thank you! I try to make Lily seem independent from men. Muahaha, who needs them anyways? ;)

**Erin-** Thank you! There's your update!

**Emeraldied'Obsession-** Of course! The sixth book made me cry and fling my book across the room. (Dumbledore was my favorite character you see.) Let's just say my mom came into my room looking frantic and left with an unhappy expression on her face.

**Jingle-Bellz-ROCK!- **Wow, I didn't think anyone would have recognized his name. HA. Shows how much I know about history. But yes, he was the Norwegian guy, making a good portion of me Norwegian. Funny thing is, I'm also Russian? O.o I secretly stole your relative's life records and I am writing about them. I would probably go to jail for stealing ancient items. Ah, oh well.

**the-honest-liar-** I gotta say I love the pen name. Very original. Pirate stories are just plain fun to read and write.

**Miss Mrytle360-** Heh heh, don't ask me how I got the carrot god and cannibal idea. I love James also. Very fun character to write I must admit. Well, maybe Adam has an even bigger role in this fic. He is, after all, Lily's best friend. Ahhh, you see, I did not know how to spell "whore". My apologies on that spelling error. :beats spell check to a pulp because it didn't know how to spell it:

**hope90-** Wow, thank you so much!

A/N: I want to try a poll. HAHA. This should be interesting.

How old do you think I am?

-13?

-16?

-14?

-15?

They aren't in order either, oh well. Ciao for now! (Extra cookies for whoever gets the poll right!)


	4. Dimmed Faces in the Background

A/N: _For all of you that guessed 16-you are absolutely incorrect! To all of you that guessed 13, however- are absolutely correct! And all of you get cookies if you guessed right! ;) Well, this chapter… hm… I will let you guys be the judge of it. Wow… I checked how many times this story has been hit, and it is waaay more than what I get in reviews. If you guys don't like it, tell me. I won't mind. If you love it, tell me. If you think I need some work on some things, TELL ME. That is the only way I will advance in my writing skills. ;)_

_**Disclaimer: **_This plot, my characters, and my cookies that I had once owned-belong to me. Everything else belongs to JKR.

**Chapter Four: Dimmed Faces in the Background**

****

* * *

"To our fabulous second in command, James Potter, for capturing the two people that will bring us the most money."

Cheers were heard amongst the vast smudge of fuzzy faces. "Now, we will all split the rewards, no worries mates. But I would like to introduce you to one of our captives. Let me tell you, she is _quite_ a looker."

The _Black Ship_'s crew was silent as the black veil covering my sleeping mind was unveiled roughly. Light penetrated through my eyelids and I was forced to open them. My gaze hazily drifted around James' crew, my head slightly bobbing from the mistreatment I had been put through. Their captain, Sirius Black as I had come to know, had treated Adam and I cruelly; to the contrary of how we had treated James aboard our ship. Not once had I had a _bit_ of meat while aboard the _Black Ship_. We were given seven glasses of water each day, stale bread, and molded cheese that I had to plug my nose to eat. Adam was treated worse... He received daily beatings from James and/or Sirius. They had once made me watch them torture him, saying that they wanted me to know just what would happen to me if I didn't behave...

"Isn't she just _darling_?" James said as he pinched my cheeks, causing his peers to laugh and mimic him. With the spit I had managed to conjure in my mouth I lunged it at his face, hitting him squarely in the eyes. He wiped off the remaining spit from his face that had not already drizzled down. "She is a feisty one too, mind you."

"Oh, but we adore feisty ones." Sirius interjected, his tone drawled and happy.

"That we do." Returned the hazel eyed man thoughtfully. Sleep was slowly being lifted from my head while being replaced with dizziness and fatigue. I scarcely felt the ropes bound around my hands and feet. Scarcely saw Adam in the dim lighting of the night, and scarcely saw that he had been tied to a pillar to the side of me. I wasn't positive, but I groggily found out that I, myself, was tied to a pillar, my hands bound to the back of it.

"Fortunately, she has also brought her most precious best friend, Robert Adam Wedower, to accompany us on this voyage back to England. I have already sent out a randsom note for both these _royals_." A blurry James came into my vision once more. "And to think, you hated the one thing that would become."

My mind was too fatigued to say a comment back, I just took his verbal beatings upon me lately...

"Oh yes, let us not forget that Miss Lillian Evans here decided to become a pirate!" Said James while he turned back to the crowd. "A _pirate_!" He threw his head back mocking me by laughing. "A female pirate? I had never heard of such a thing until Miss Lillian decided to show me that woman were as equal as men."

My body was so tired, so hungry, that my burning rage did not give me energy to resist their mocking laughter that ensued James' speech. "But Prongs! Let's not forget that she gave up all that money to become something she never had the talent to be!" The one thing I absolutely hated in this world was being told what I can, and what I can't do.

My vision was too hazy to see if James threw Sirius an amused glance or not. "Very true, Padfoot." I saw his silhouette turn towards Adam, and my mind barely registered that he was going to mock Adam next.

"Stop it." I said, remembering the last time I had said that to James. That time seemed so long ago that it did . A time when Adam and I had full stomachs and wine…

Sirius' shadow turned towards me now as James did. "Stop? Stop putting you two in your place? Dear Lillian, you ran a mediocre ship that needed, no _had_, to be destroyed. Do you not see? Your ship, this _Avenger_, was making a shadow over the famous pirate names. It was not a shadow that I liked, either; so, I wanted to dispose of you. But! Little did I know that you were the _famous_ dead princess from Ireland; such a coincidence in my favor."

"I'm not who you're looking for." I managed to breathe out, my lungs and tongue throbbing from the exertion of speaking. My chapped lips cracked as I tasted blood in my mouth.

James snorted. "Whatever you want to think, little pretty." His body looked as if the lines of his whole body were drawn in pencil, then sloppily erased, leaving it blurry beyond words. "Now, for your dear friend Adam, he pretended to be a native Irish man to become your friend before you two were to be married."

Married? But I was to be married to Robert, not Adam… "You're wrong." I said, cringing as my lung throbbed in protest to my speaking. "He… Adam isn't Prince Robert. We knew each other since the age of-"

"Eight, isn't it? Such a convenient time for your friend to show up unexpectedly at the palace. And then to be welcomed in _with open arms_? Come now, what foolish common boy gets accepted into the royal palace when he comes begging to live there?"

Adam was… Adam was Robert. Adam was the one thing that I despised in this God forsaken world. He was an Englishman; the reason that I hated Englishmen…

Nay, my _best mate_ could have told me he was an Englishman; Adam wasn't the kind of man that kept secrets from me. It just wasn't his nature to do such a thing, especially to me.

"You're lying." I forced myself to say for my throat was now throbbing also.

"I'm so sorry, Lily." The person to my right said. He didn't…he couldn't be Robert. I guessed that was all he could manage to say as Adam… Robert passed out cold still being tied to the pillar in a standing up position.

My mind was reeling over everything that had happened in such a way that was not meant to be. James… I didn't even want to think about him. Besides, I had tried to strain my eyes to see the blurry figures before me too much that I had gotten a headache the pounded against my skull. I closed my tired and bloodshot eyes, leaning against the one thing that gave me support: the pillar. How ironic that a pillar would fulfill my support need at the moment.

My mouth was too dry to speak as I heard James snort at my pathetic figure. "Men, we will have our million pounds as soon as we get back to England!" The traitor-did I even have a right to call him that?-yelled to his men in delight, and obviously, he was rewarded with jubilant cheers and "Hail James!" from the crowd. They treated him like a king when he did not deserve to be treated as such. That bloody man deserved to rot somewhere in jail or the seas. Preferably the seas where strange creatures lived and would torture James as he did Adam.

As I was mentally planning his death, Sirius had continued his speech. My mind drifted in and out of it, so I got random pieces of different topics.

"-We could kill that bitch and be done with it-" I heard from one crewmember as I grinned cynically, my eyes closed in a dream-like state.

"-we could make her walk the plank!" Was what I heard from another, and I mentally snorted at the coincidence that they were thinking of doing the same treatment to me as I had wanted to do to James. Except, these men would probably kill me without a second thought.

While James and Sirius had went down into the crowd flinging beer everywhere, I shakily turned towards Adam. His silhouette was slumped forward, and for a brief moment I thought him dead. "Adam…" I barely managed to whisper hoarsely.

"Lily…" At least he was awake...

My blurry vision managed to scrounge up an image of a silver gleaming object in Adam's hands. He was breaking his ropes… he was going to set us free! What from there? Would we try to take the _Black Ship_ by force? We were in no condition to do anything physically, or mentally, that would challenge us.

"We're never going to make it." I whispered throatily; we would never manage to survive, we would die within ten seconds. I barely had the strength to make out Adam's sudden stop of movement. "Adam…" I whispered desperately. "Adam, come on. We have to think; help me brainstorm."

But his now limp looking body did not respond to my pleas. "Adam… Come on, mate. You have to get up; I don't want to be stuck in this ship alone." Anxiety was fueling my energy level dramatically to the point were I could speak more fluently. "Don't leave me alone. Come back…" He wasn't dead. He... he couldn't be dead. Adam wasn't the type to leave me all alone. I would see his dark blue eyes again, see his wavy black hair fall into his eyes one more time... I was sure I would see his dimples as he laughed... sure I would see his sarcastic grin turned my way soon... We would laugh about this when it was all over...

My shoulders sagged as silent tears formed their way down my cheeks onto my chin and dropping onto the light wood beneath my weak feet. Adam-Robert-was gone. The one person that was my lifeline to reality, was dead...

Adam and I had so many good times together; we had always laughed when recalling the carrot god incident, or we had just laughed whenever we felt like it. It may seem weird to some woman to have a man as a best mate, but that never once occurred to me when Adam was alive.

He was the one person I could look to for guidance, for help to release my anger; the one person I could have relied on to tell my secret. But truthfully, Adam had known all along... all along… And he had not told a soul. He would not have followed me if he wasn't emotionally connected to me. I… I want my best mate back.

"_Adam! Hurry! He is going to see us!" I giggled as we passed various corridors._

"_I think…" Adam panted, trying to keep up with my steady run. "He… already has."_

_Sure enough, the two twelve year olds jumped as they heard their names being yelled at from clear across the castle grounds. "ADAM ROBERT!" They always attatched Adam's name to his middle name, and never his last name. "LILLIAN CLAIRE-MARIE EVANS!" That was definitely my mom. Eh, I would get away with it; just one puppy dog look, and it was all good. Adam wasn't as lucky as I was..._

"_It's a simple game of Truth or Dare. The rules are: if one person-"_

"_Yes, Lillian. We know the rules, let's just play!" Marian, a sixteen year old Irish diplomat's daughter, said excitedly._

"_Okay… Adam, truth or dare?" I asked Adam, seeing his gray orbs go into thought._

"_Truth…" He said reluctantly after a time._

"_Who do you fancy?" Bellatrix, a lazy, spoiled, English daughter said lazily._

"_I… um…" Adam trailed, glancing at me uncertainly. Even I did not know who he liked; he had always kept it a secret from me, his own best mate! "I… sort of… like… Lily…"_

_I was sure I was as red as a strawberry after he made his proclamation. Truth be told, I had a little crush on Adam too…_

My vision was darkened even more as the black cloth was put around my head again. "Hey capin'." I heard James draw out with a mixture of sarcasm and amusement. "Robert here is dead."

* * *

A/N: So you like? You hate? You want to flame me so I can laugh pitifully at them? Well, then do so pronto! I know this chapter wasn't as long as all the other ones, but the next one will be longer! If anyone got confused on any of that... just tell me.

**GSCer-** Oh, look! You get a fabulous cookie! If you're confused in any way, I will clarify. ;)

**Jingle-Bellz-ROCK-** Ahh, but clifies/twists are very fun! (When I'm not the reader, mind you) Ooh, good guess on the age, but I'm actually 13, turning 14 March 25! I have a swim meet on your birthday. -tear- I won't be here to wish you happy birthday-even though I'm not exactly sure how I would-so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN ADVANCED!

**The-one-and-only-** Thank you! I need to check out that band. I'll go to Best Buy sometime this week. ;)

**Erin-** Very clever I must say! Yes, I am 13, and yes, I wanted to know if I could fool people. Heh heh.

**peacock-** Thank you! Cute name. ;)

**Laura-** Trust me, I have been worse. LOL. Don't worry, I won't quite this story! It is too much fun to write!

**boiz**- Thank you! I can't write THAT fast now. Haha.


	5. Crimson Waters

A/N: Well, here I am with another chapter! Yay! For all of you who were confused on the last chapter: Adam was Robert Wedower, Lily's finance before she moved away. (Her best friend, mind you) And he died, leaving Lily all alone on the blasted ship.

**Another detail I want to inform you of**: I did not mean to take the name "the Black Ship" from the POTC. After I had posted the first chapter, I looked back over it, and I found that out. Heh heh… Oh well, we are too into the story to change it now! (Plus the fact that I don't want to go through all of the times where I typed that name and change it)

Well, I'm sorry I couldn't get this chapter out sooner, but I just came back from the biggest meet of our season: JO's. (Junior Olympics) -sigh- I did good on my 400 freestyle, would've taken sixth in the finals heat if I wasn't in the blasted consoles heat. Grrrrr. I took off about eight seconds leaving me with a 4:44.something. Alright, I will stop my rambling and get on with the story.

_**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own Harry Potter. But! Thankfully I still own (some) of my cookies._

**Chapter Five: Crimson Waters**

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"DAMN!" I grinned whimsically as Sirius bellowed from across his deck. Hearing him yell at several of his soldiers to get my ass out there to meet him, I decided it was best to try and stand to welcome these bastards. 

"Lillian, you are to be taken to the second in command for a word with him. You have no choice." The nervous looking deckhand said, twirling his glasses in one hand and his hat in the other.

"No shit." Glaring at this innocent kid was one way to vent my anger. He had been part of the crowd that had cheered my death on, cheered Adam's death on…

"Follow me, then." The boy said reluctantly and turned towards the cell door as I looked up at the ceiling silently asking God why I had been sent such a stupid boy.

"Hey, asshole, you have to get me out of these cuffs first." The kid jumped and muttered an apology as he unclamped my arms. "Right." I said distractedly still looking at the ceiling as he freed me. Well, I couldn't exactly call it being "free", but at least I was out of those damn handcuffs.

"_You_ _set her free aboard my ship_?" Sirius asked, obviously furious that the poor boy had let me go, as we walked onto the deck of the ship. "You idiot! JAMES!" Great, here comes the bastard from hell.

"Yeah?" replied James, lazily playing with the sword that lay in his hand. I watched in horror as James twirled the sword around his fingers, thinking that I would someday fall dead at his hand…

"This stupid boy," here Sirius shook the lad's ear with one hand while the latter cringed in agony. "managed to set our dear Lily flower free!" With this piece of information given to James, the black haired captain shook my shoulder, making me sway on my feet more than I already had been.

The reason of my distress raised an eyebrow at Sirius' infuriated behavior as he watched his best mate throw me to the ground. My body still being weak without my daily water, I couldn't get up… I didn't _want_ to get up.

I heard them say something, but it did not reach my ears. Not really caring about what the two men were talking about, I amusedly wondered how they were going to torture me next before my parents finally realized it was me they had taken captive. Oh yes, my parents did not even recognize their own daughter's handwriting after Sirius and James had forced me to write a letter to my parents asking them to rescue me. As if I wanted to be back in the palace without Adam there with me.

"Hey wench." James kicked my side roughly, causing my thoughts to break and my mouth to let out a gasp of pain. "Get up. We need you to… _please_ one of us."

_Please _one of them? They expected me to have sex with them? Fury burned its way into my blood, fueling my ability to speak louder than I had been able to lately.

"Go fuck each other. I'm sure you would like it more that way." I snarled out, trying to turn my head towards James' face, but the sun blocked my view while almost blinding me in the process.

Hearing Sirius let out a livid growl, I turned my face back toward the ground, slightly smiling for knowing that my spirit was not yet broken. "Bitch." The black haired man said, spitting on my already battered and bruised body. While the _Black Ship_'s crewmates were wary of my temper, Sirius and James would beat me continuously for my witty remarks.

"You believe you can ware us down with your remarks?" My throbbing head barely managed to compute that James was the speaker. "You will only break yourself down. Paul! Tie Miss Evans to a pole and whip her ten times, her shirt off." I could feel James grin turned my way, feel the leer he was giving me. But I unconsciously felt no hatred towards me, no, I felt despise sent my way.

"Yes, sir." I recognized a voice to be Paul say, lifting my almost limp body off the ground and carrying me to a pillar. "I'm really sorry for this, Lily." He was one of the more compassionate ones towards me, and I cherished his kind words on this ship more than I cherished food and water.

"Just get it over with." I managed to whisper to him, slightly smiling at him when he has finished binding my hands in leather around the pillar. I rested my forehead against the same pillar that had comforted me the night Adam died as Paul ripped open the back of my flimsy white shirt. Maybe this was a sign that I was to die today… I wouldn't object in one bit, I was tired-nay, exhausted-of James and Sirius' daily beatings.

A resounding _crack_ echoed through the air as the whip was brought down upon my back. Another whip, another scar… it was nothing new to me. The pain had only begun to waver its way through my body. Usually, I was lucky to get by with ten whippings, let alone Paul doing it. The sweet boy managed to make it less painful for me…

"Two!" Sirius yelled as the whip ripped through my scarred tissue, making white, hot fire echo throughout my body. I would not scream as I had done all those times before. I would not let them know I was in pain…

"Three!" This time, James yelled, and the leather whip slashed through my skin once more, sending fire hotter than hell to all the nerves in my body. I… would not scream…

"Four!" Sirius yelled, it seemed they were taking turns. The _crack_ of the whip came down upon my back, searing it's already scarred surface.

"Five!" James bellowed, as blood poured down my back and soaked my torn, black pants to the point were they were a dark red, almost the their natural color of black.

"Six!" Sirius mimicked his best mate, and I tried to not let my mind slip into the welcoming blackness that rested ever so close as the whip dug its way into my back.

"Seven!" The pain was unbearable, I wanted to scream out to the world and let it know how much pain it was in. But I bit my tongue until it also bled to keep from screaming as the eighth whipping scorched my bloodied back.

"Nine!" James yelled, and I could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. The quick echoing _crack_ came down upon my back, making me almost buckle under the pain it was providing me.

"Ten." Sirius reluctantly said, and the leather torture tool came down upon my back once more, and without my legs being bound my knees buckled from the pain. I landed in a pool of my own blood that had flown from my scarred back. My breathing was harsh coming in and out of my body, and the fresh salty air that had once calmed me now shot ice threw my entire body.

"Cut her down, and get her some new clothes too. Maybe a nice dress that we stole?" I dimly heard footsteps walking away, and I knew that they belonged to James and Sirius. They did not care about my wellbeing; they had given up hope of getting a ransom. I assumed they were only keeping me on this ship for their sick pleasures that they thought I would actually do. I would rather die and visit Adam than sleep with one of those two. And right now, visiting Adam was all I wanted to do.

Trying to reach out to the darkness that had resided ever present in my mind as I was whipped, I found it gone and away from my grasp. There goes my ticket to heaven; if I was even going there…

"I hope it wasn't too bad…" Paul trailed uncertainly as I shivered in the bathtub filled with blood stained water.

"It wasn't as bad…" My tongue refused to make another sound as I coughed up more crimson liquid.

"Keep silent, Lils. I'm going to try and buy you more time to live. I can only guarantee your life if your parents send back a note saying they will pay us." With my head shaking violently from the cold water, I managed to nod my head as more chilling water came down upon my wounds.

The freezing water did nothing for the empty feeling that seemed to follow me everywhere I went. My only companion had died; my best mate had died… I didn't want to live anymore. I didn't care if I ever saw my friends again; I wanted release from all these beatings…these torture sessions. I wanted to see Adam again.

"Paul," I started, my bloody tongue finally allowing me to move it. "I want you to throw me in the waters."

The blonde haired man let out a scoff. "I'm not going to kill you, dear. No matter how much you want release. I might be on your side for the no beating factor, but I'm on James and Sirius' side for the money." So Paul was like all the rest…

"Give the sponge to me." I vehemently said as I quickly snatched up the sponged from the brown eyed man's hands. I would clean myself, not let another man aboard this ship do it. Feeling the frown Paul was giving me, I filled the sponge with the bloody water below me and let it slowly pour down my back. My naked body started to shiver even more as I repeated the process.

"Lily, get out of the bathtub and into this towel." Looking up I found that Paul had scrounged up a nice, big, fluffy blue towel for me. My violently shaking body screamed for me to take the towel, and I did so without a moment's hesitation.

"Thank…" I coughed crimson blood onto the towel, staining its perfect blue surface…

A warm hand touched my scarred shoulder, and I looked up to meet kind brown eyes. "I may be with them Lily, but I'm still with you." I smiled slightly at Paul. He was the only person that could get away with saying that.

"Go to bed, Lils." The blonde haired man said, laying me softly on the dry hay that lay upon my tiny, silent cell. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

As if I had a bed. But it would be too much hospitality for me to have a bed and a little meat; not from these pirates…

Paul gently kissed my forehead as if he was a father tucking in his daughter for bedtime. With the thought of my father, I was unable to respond to his kind gestures. I was either going to go to the one place I hated most, or I was going to die. Silently choosing to rather die than go back to Ireland, my cold body shivered continuously as I wrapped the flimsy towel around my naked form.

"Wake up, Lily." I expected to see Paul standing above me as I awoke, but I was shocked to see James standing over me. He wasn't leering at me, he wasn't whispering rude lies about me to the other crewmembers, and he was actually staring at me with interest and a little-lust, maybe? Realizing I was just in at towel spelled things out for me. My body was enticing him to have me right then and right there. Well, why wouldn't he? Wasn't he able to do anything to me?

"What do you want?" I said, turning my head away from his wanting gaze.

"I brought this dress for you." James unsympathetically tossed me a dark green dress and a corset. "I expect you dressed for tonight's occasion."

"Occasion?" My mouth spat out blood from the beating I had taken again.

"You will pose as my whore when we go to a pit stop tonight." The black haired man said, giving me a glare that even dared me to utter a word against this.

"Will I get a room, meaning bath and all, to prepare for tonight?" My once hard, defiant voice now came out merely a pained whisper.

"Not your own room." said James, crudely pulling me up while making the scabbing wounds on my back stretch and break. Blood soaked the soft, blue towel I adorned and James frowned with disapproval at the blood as if it were my fault that it was there. "You are coming to my room to get ready." I stumbled along after James as he pulled me across the boat and into his quarters.

His room was exquisite, but else was I expecting? A dirty little shaft like mine? A crimson-much to the same shade of red as my towel now was-couch sat alone on the east wall. James' bed-I was infuriated to see-held a naked woman in its gold sheets. The woman stretched while eyeing James and me seductively. Great, so now this whore wanted me too. Just what I wanted today. My gaze landed on several bookshelves on the west wall sitting peacefully on the beige carpet beneath them. My emerald orbs did not leave that Godly sight of the bookshelves until James roughly handed me the dark green dress again.

"Wear this." James commanded and then turned towards the woman on the bed with a grin. "Rosealia, _darling_, go pleasure Sirius, would you?" The black haired woman's light brown eyes light up with the possibility as she scampered out onto the deck naked and headed towards the captain's quarters. "Take a bath, then get dressed, we are almost to the cave."

Cave? What the hell? I was going in a cave? I hated dark places… Adam had always been the one to help me get to sleep every night by singing an Irish song to me. I bit my lip to keep the tears from coming down my face at the thought of Adam. Seeing hazel eyes harden upon me for my lack of movement, I decided it was best to go do as he said before I received yet another beating.

I walked into the bathroom that was connected to the sink and wanted to sink to my knees right then and there. An actual bathtub sat in front of me, gold hinges and all, winking at me. Quickly turning on the hot water, I excitedly waited for the bathtub to fill as I closed the door, put the dark green dress carefully on a stool next to the tub, and painfully uncovered my bloody and bruised back. The deep wounds were gleaming from being reopened once again. I lightly touched them, cringing as hot fire buried itself into my body, not wanting to leave.

Almost forgetting to turn the water off, I quietly slipped into the bathtub with only the water's movement making sound in my ears. I sighed as I let the warm water relax me before I decided it was best to not keep James waiting for too long…

Done with the washing of my hair, I looked at the sponge and bar of soap uncertainly. Blood was slowly spreading through the water as I tensely reached for the soap as if it would crawl away from me unexpectedly. I managed to finally bathe my whole body except for my back; I wasn't even daring touch it less I be in pain again. Timidly reaching for the white, fluffy towel across from me, I dried myself off, making sure that I only lightly touched the bruises and scars adorning my once perfect body.

I gently combed out my hair, deciding to leave it down. I really wasn't looking forward to be James whore, even if it was for show…

I put the dark green dress on, not bothering to even glance at my reflection before I walked out into the second in command's sleeping quarters once more. He was tapping the armrest of his crimson couch, gazing at the wall in thought as I was into the room, my noisy heels taking him by surprise.

"What took you so long? Let's go." James said, grabbing my arm and hauling me out of his room onto the deck.

All the crewmembers were dressed in rich apparel, and I snorted. They probably stole all those clothes from the rich, trying to make themselves look like they were actually worth something. James gave me a hard glare at my action before tugging me along to a plank that connected to the dark, wet, slippery ground bellow. The second in command let out a frustrated sigh as he saw me hesitate on the plank. He obviously did not want to wait any longer for he pushed my back, hard, to get me to keep moving.

I almost cried out in pain to the dark cave, but I bit back the scream that wanted to erupt and continued to the rocky ground. "You will follow my orders and everything I do, or you will die." James whispered in my ear as he roughly grabbed my ass, squeezing it hard. The only thing I could do was close my eyes tightly and fist my hands together to keep from hitting his smug face in as he traced invisible objects on my ass. My teeth clenched, and just when I thought I was going to lost my control, James grinned and slapped my ass before dragging me by the arm towards the "town" I guessed was here.

After the other crewmates stayed behind us and disappeared from view I became more hesitant in my steps and more cautious of my surroundings. If James was going somewhere without Sirius, something was going to happen… and my fatigued mind dimly realized things would not be in my favor tonight.

* * *

**A/N**: Another cliff hanger! I am just so evil, heh heh. Thank you all that reviewed, I really appreciate your reviews! Now it is very late, and I am very tired from having to swim five times in today due to relays. Our relay team ROCKED the 400 freestyle relay and we got gold. Yesssssss. But I think that today was the most tiring day of the whole meet, minding that I did the 200 backstroke and the 200 butterfly both twice in one day. Thankfully, that was the first day. Bad news, they were back to back. Anyways, I'll get on with the review responses for all of you that have no idea what I'm talking about! 

**Erin-** heh heh, yep. That was the plan! But how I am going to execute that plan… well, you'll just have to read to find out!

**Lo-** Wow, thank you so much! I don't think I will update everyday though. I will try my best! ;)

**Bronzalyn-** lol, I think I would beat him to a bloody pulp.

**blessed-Indian-rose576-**

**GSCer-** That was the reaction I was lookin' for! Kudos for me. ;)

**tigerlily141-** Exactly correct. Somehow, someway, I will get Lily and James together! Haha.

**Jingle-Bellz-ROCK-** I have to keep some surprises for you! A boring story would be a story without a thick plot. (In my opinion anyways:p ) Yes, poor, poor Lily, I agree.

**Miss Myrtle360-** I agree, this situation is very bad. Oh don't worry, James will get his money one way or another. ;) I think by the time you read the fourth chapter, you got why James was pretending to be an Englishman. Well, Remus should have a strange and perverted side sometimes! Lord knows he has one. I couldn't think of another name for the ship:p The "Black" part of the name is supposed to play on Sirius' last name, not be a copy of POTC at all. After I posted the second chapter I realized that it was. Woops!

**PorceliainxDoll-** Thank you so much! It means A LOT to me that you think it is original!

**WolfGinOfTheFlame-** Thank you very much! You have no idea how much that means to methat you think it is inventive!

**Gwen-** LOL, I wouldn't want that now. ;)


	6. New Acquaintances

A/N: I really don't have anything to babble about, so I will get on with the chapter! Oh wait, yes I do, have any of you heard of the band Garbage? If so, tell me what you thought of their newest CD! (And no, I have no relation to any of the Garbage band members, I just love them. :D)

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Harry Potter… sad? Yes. Depressing? Of course. My cookies that are mysteriously disappearing are the only thing I own. :glares at brother:

**Chapter Six- New Acquaintances**

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James roughly pulled me through the dark, only stopping to let me scramble up after I fell over ragged rocks. My body was still fatigued from the whipping I had endured and I was sure the back of the dark green dress was soaked with blood. It seemed as if I had an unlimited supply of blood that would always, always be there for James or Sirius to suck out of me… 

Sometimes I just wish I would go dry.

"Hurry up, wench." James pulled me roughly from the ground, my back searing with pain every step I took.

After many falls, we had finally come to our destination, a sign that read: _Molovia City_. Molovia… Where had I heard that name before? Could it actually be the pirate city the authorities had been looking for at least a century? I swallowed the knot that had somehow wound itself inside my throat. This city was known for its treachery and whore houses. Was James just going to leave me to some brothel and leave me there to serve men? I wouldn't allow it. I would rather join Adam again than be left in this dank place for the rest of my life.

When we entered the city, it was as I had expected it to be. Trash lay on the stone pathways that barely separated buildings from one another. The buildings in Molovia were tall and forbidding, as if they unwelcome us to the city. Streets were littered with gangly men, bulky men, fat men, and only a few women by the buildings with signs that promised pleasure to its guests.

I barely had time to look around the front of the city before I was harshly pulled by the wrist towards a sign that read: _Molovia Brothel and Inn_. People (most likely men) actually stayed with those whores? My nose upturned at the mere thought.

Smoke filled my weakening lungs as James stepped into the bar, pulling me along with him.

A tall, dark man stood behind a bar to the left of us as various tables sat to our right. Steps behind all of the tables led to the second story where I assumed the bedrooms were located.

"James, mi boy!" A voice rang out over the laughter and chattering of the men in the room. A man that was fairly short and chubby waddled to us, frantically pushing others out of his way to get to James.

"Samuel." James greeted when the plump man had reached us.

"I see you brought another one of your lasses for tonight?" Samuel asked James after looking me over.

"This one is different. I'm not going to leave her here, you see."

I stayed silent. He wasn't going to leave me here? But… I thought I was nothing to him? Just a speck of dirt to be wiped off his shoulder? "Ah yes. I wouldn't want anyone else to have her either."

James grinned roguishly. "It would be most unpleasant to know that my dear Lily would sleep with another man."

"Yes, yes. I'm sure. Well! Come! Sit down! Sit down! Make yourselves comfortable, hmm?"

Samuel eagerly waved to the tables. "Thank you, Sam. Oh, and have you seen Tom yet?"

"I do believe I have. He is right over there in his usual corner. Odd fellow that one is. Just call if you want any drinks!" And with a quick smile, the stubby man was on his way to other customers.

"Come." James ordered, his smile gone and pulled me along with him to the table that I guessed was Tom's table.

"Tom Riddle!" James exclaimed, grinning at the dark haired handsome man before us. He had dark brown eyes that were blank as they stared at James, and then at me.

He held his gaze on me as he spoke. "So this is the girl?"

James let out a nonchalant snort. "Yeah. Isn't she a cute thing?"

The handsome man gave an appreciative nod. "Indeed. Let us discuss how we are to convince her parents that she is alive upstairs in one of my bedrooms. Follow."

Tom briskly stood up and walked up the stairs, leaving James to stare at his back as I glared at the table. So James was sending me back to Ireland? So he was going to let this Tom Riddle have me?

"Lily." I stopped short; he called me by my name… "I want you to know that I don't trust Tom to take you to Ireland without killing you first, so I'm going with you."

"Oh how nice of you." I bit out through clenched teeth. I would have to tolerate that git for more days than I could handle.

"I know." James said without humor laced through his voice as he pulled me up the stairs.

"Ooh, James!" A high pitched voice carried itself from downstairs us as we were walking towards Tom's room.

"Shit." The brown haired man cussed, and pushed me up to a wall. I could feel his toned body attach onto mine as I winced from the pain that coursed through my back. "Be quiet and don't pull back."

Before I could react, James pulled me into a rough kiss as footsteps came closer to us. He must have decided to have a little fun, because he forced his tongue into my mouth without my consent. I closed my eyes tight from refraining to kick his ass right then and there. But yet his tongue caressed mine in an almost innocent, loving manner. His lips, which I remembered from time to time, were still as soft as I had felt before.

"Oh my." A ditzy voice said beside us, making James pull away from me.

A skinny blonde woman with curves only some woman would dream of was staring at me as if I had murdered her entire family and gotten away with it.

"James. What are you doing with this whore?"

"What does it look like we were doing, Vivien?"

The woman known as Vivien sniffed indignantly and said no more as she stalked off downstairs, hips swinging. Just the way she carried herself made my heart come alive with laughter. Not caring how James would react, I laughed until my back was even sorer and my cheeks were a light pink.

I felt thechocolate haired man staring at me, and I turned my head to meet his unreadable gaze. "Sorry." I mumbled, as he kept staring at me before he shook his head as if clearing some thoughts.

"Let's go."

Tom's room was bare except for a mirror, a wardrobe, and a stiff bed. What a boring way to live…

"Finally." The jet black haired man said as we entered the room. "Now, we must discuss how we are to get Lillian to Ireland. How much is this ransom?"

"A million pounds; they must want this beauty back quick." I stared at the white chipping paint on the walls as they spoke.

Tom gave me an icy stare. "Beauty indeed." He grinned maliciously. "Fabulous. Now, I suppose you want to come with us." It was not a question; it was a statement.

"Yes." James raised an eyebrow at Tom while the latter just smiled. His smile… I do not know how to describe it; it was as if Tom didn't want to smile, yet he was. A ghost smile…

"Even better. Now," his gaze turned back to me and I could have cringed if not for my insufferable pride and the fact that I was now staring at the slightly dented mirror reflecting James'sfigure."we shall see to it this little dear gets to Ireland. Without comfort if the parents don't raise the price, that is." Another torture session awaited me, I was sure of it. I was almost looking forward to going back to Ireland… and least there, I would not be beaten; I would not be tortured; I would be respected for who I am. Princess Lillian. How I despised that person, but it was better than this life.

"On the morrow. Goodnight, Mr. Riddle." James said, saluting Tom and turning to leave with me on his heels.

"Please, James." Tom said as we were _almost_ out of the room. I did not want to be in Tom's presence longer than I needed. "Call me Voldemort... as a friendly nickname, of course."

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A/N: Pffffft, I'm sorry it is short, and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to get this out. Presently, I have a minor case of writer's block, sadly. Not a very good thing, but I managed to get my idea for this chapter out there. Hope you all enjoyed it! 

**WolfGirlOfTheFlame-** Me too. L But everything should look better for Lily… it might not be for a while though.

**the-honest-liar-** I'm glad you love it! ;)

**-699hater-** Awwww, thank you so much! Are you moving up? I don't want you to leave me yet to fend all alone against negative 699 -tear-. I will be so sad when you aren't there for me to chitter (chatter) away with! Mucho 3 dear.

**Jingle-Bellz-ROCK-** Thank you! Ahh, but the famous Irish temper is awesome. I have uhm… the famous Russian forgetfulness? Yes, yes, cliff hangers equal exciting and anticipation. And yes again, as much as I hate to do it to Lily, she has to have some bad moments. I feel so proud of myself… I inspired you without even trying! Yesssssss.

**miss­magsak-** I'm thankful that you love it! (Well, I'm guessing that you do. O.O)

**sonei-** Thank you! ;)

**PorcelainxDoll- **Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. I don't think anyone has given me a greater compliment. :blushes: YES! Someone got that the _Black Ship_ played on Sirius's last name. Keep having those thoughts, it builds excitement! I hope that I lived up to your expectations as to what you thought it was going to be!

**CometChick-** HA! I knew someone that swam would read that. I'm in the Southern California zone. I get to race against Cindy Tran, yay me! O.O Gah! Don't hate James too much! I think he will get better…

**Erin-** Life is lovely for Lily, indeed. Ha. Its all right, I didn't expect many people to understand my ramblings with the swim meet. ;)

**MissMyrtle360-** You have to hide your cookies from the siblings, I hid mine from my brother. Heh heh. Well yes, but James wasn't treated like Lily is. Bah. I'm just evil. O.o Lily did realize a bit too late that she loved Adam, and I regret that I didn't put more of him in the story. That would have really ripped your hearts out if Lily was even closer to Adam.

**pialicious-** Sadly, yes. James is a good looking asshole. Get it on… hahahahahahahaha. Woo. Thank you so much!

**fab-** Lucky James, indeed. Haaa, trust me, Lily will open a can of whop ass; it might not be soon, but oh, she will. I agree, Lily could beat James and Sirius's asses anytime! She was just, er, handicapped when captured.

**the-one-and-only-** Lucky James, indeed. Poor Lily, most definitely. There was the update you wanted! ;)

**LittleSunflower-** No worries, no worries. Thank you for reviewing! Your English is quite good, actually. ;)

**IvyClimbing-** No, you didn't, but its all good. I love witty Lily also, stupid Lilys just don't cut it for me. :shrug: You will love James one way or another as you read the story. ;)

**Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI-** Thank you!

And for all those who read and do not review… **_THANK YOU!_**

SS


	7. The Borders of Insanity

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is a dark one. Lily goes… well, you shall see. But it is dark, I'm warning you. **

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Harry Potter. -tear- My cookies have mysteriously vanished from this Earth into my greedy brother's mouth, so at this moment, I own nothing.

**Chapter Seven (gasp)-** The Borders of Insanity

* * *

Grunting, James hauled his luggage aboard the large ship. Without looking back, he said, "Come, Lily." 

He called me by my name, as if that made any difference between our relationship. Lately, James seemed to be on edge with me, often glancing at me as I stared blankly at the wall in the Inn. Of course, I had been _privileged_ to get a blanket with me that night. How sweet of James. Snorting sarcastically to myself, I trudged up the plank leading to the main bow. No one had taken me by the arms right away; no one had even noticed my arrival on the ship.

Maybe, just maybe, I would get no beatings and actually be able to eat food. I tried to push the hope from my mind before it consumed me to only thinking about optimistic possibilities; it was best to not get my mood up too soon. James would notice a difference in my demeanor, and he would want to bring it down at all costs.

"Ah," Tom said, surprisingly standing close to me, "Lily. Follow." Did these men think I was a dog? "Come!" "Follow!" They might as well use "Sit." and "Stay" too. My fists clenched at my side, and my jaw tigtened as I glared at the back of Tom's head.

Without even a thought to where I was going, I followed Riddle. "You are to sleep, dine, and whatever your heart desires with James. God knows that I don't want to know." His face remained indifferent, but I could tell he was repulsed by his tone. "Oh wait, God doesn't exist, does he? I shouldn't even use his name."

I remained silent, glaring at the back of Tom's head with distaste and hatred. That man…how dare he try to assume that James and I have a relationship beyond hatred?

"James and I remain enemies." I gritted out.

"At the moment." Tom concluded, giving off his mood where he would tolerate no one to object to his views or opinions. "We shall see, won't we?"

So the devil thought James and I were together. How pleasant.

"This is your room to be shared with James." And without a goodbye, (why was I expecting one from him?) Tom walked off, shouting orders while his crewmates scrambled to comply. Still huffing with anger at being treated like a dog, I roughly pushed the door open, making it slam into the wall from the force. The door creaked back towards me as I stood with my mout agape, staring at the dimly lit room.

Well, this was certainly not what I had expected it to be. Long, dark blue tapestries hung from the walls, and a large four post bed stood to the east of the room; extravagant designs wound themselves around the comforter of the bed like snakes. An air of mystery plagued the room, yet it welcomed me all the same. I suppose it was the silver and the dark blue that gave it away.

I awkwardly made my way to the bed, softly touching the linen sheets. How long had it been that I had been able to touch something soft? Too long. My mind was buzzing with the soft touch of the fine cloth. Could I really be affected this much by something that was so little? It seemed that way as desire to tackle the sheets of the bed filled my mind to the point of almost pouring out of my head. My excitement built as I slowly climbed into the comforters. Comfort… I had not felt it for so long…

I have not forgotten that moment even when I am writing this to you now. It all seemed like a dream… a surreal dream. I had not slept in a bed since I had been on my ship. How long ago that seemed. What had happened to my crew members? Were they left to die alone without a captain on a sinking ship as they watched with despair my departure? Elise's face swam before my eyes, and I had to shut them to close out the guilt that filtered into my brain. I had left my beloved _Avenger_… I had left my memories of a happier life. Why had I been so foolish? Because I was blinded by my desperation to rescue Adam that I did not noticed James' departure, nor did I see Elise lying on the ground, staring at me with cold eyes. Is that how she had died? Somehow, I knew she had watched me with dread as I ran across that damned wooden plank. After I boarded the _Black Ship, _it was as if her presence had been flicked out of my mind until now… until comfort was upon me. Ironic.

What had happened to brave, but still young, Juan? Did I leave him to his death? Did I leave him to float across the sea, paled from phenomena? Erin... loud, noisy, annoying, yet precious Erin. Did he say "I told you so!" as I boarded the _Black Ship? _And poor, aging Elliot? Did his watchful eyes glaze over in his watery tomb? Matt, inquisitive Matt. How I longed to hear him ramble on about some theory that made no sense to me once more. And Jared! What had become of the shy little boy that I had seen grow into a man? Had he shared the same fate as the others? My throat closed as I realized I left my crew that had trusted me with their life. Look where that got them…

Saltwater pricked my eyes, much to my distaste. Crying now would make it seem as if I was weak, beaten. My body may have been beaten, but my soul still flourished inside of it. My morale may have been low, but my hardheadedness did not lose one ounce of strength. No. I was still Lily Marie Evans, captain of _The Avenger_. Whatever James or Tom did to me, they could never take away my identity.

* * *

Eyes. Cold, hard, unmerciful eyes. The color of steel. Mist hung over them, shrouding their occupants face. The silhouette took a step near me. No… No! _Get away from me_! Fire burned ever close to my skin… Delirium. Screams of terror. Those eyes… Stop it! Insanity. Repulsive. Searing. Burning. Tearing…. Don't come any closer to me! _Don't_! The eyes loomed just above my vision, taunting me. Playing with me. Laughter. Echoless laughter. Hot, humid air clung to my lungs. Suffocating me. Draining the life out of me…. Those never blinking eyes. My back to a wall; my lungs constricting. Faceless flashes beneath my eyelids. Elise burning alive. Erin cradling his head, rocking back and forth. Matt's head hanging from a spear. Juan's expression skinned of his face. Elliot's eyes used for fish bait. Jared beaten by his new captain. The voice. The only voice I knew came to me, hissing, screaming. "_It's your fault!" _It screamed, echoing around me. My fault, my fault. Fault, fault. Shame. Betrayal. Elise's screams. Erin's lunacy. Matt's yells. Elliot's moans. Jared's bleeding back. Juan's flesh. Hopelessness. My fault… Humiliation. Dread. Hate. Fire. Despair… Silver eyes turning dark blue. Adam. Dear Adam. Slipping away, smiling; grinning, beckoning with a wave of his hand. Follow. Footsteps, faint in the mist. Long black hair falling over dark blue. Dashing. Love. Adam with Tom Riddle at his side. Burning hate. Drowning in hope. Adam with a knife. Coming at me. Fault, fault… I deserved this. Blame. 

With a gasp, my eyelids thrust open. My body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Have a nice sleep, dear?" James' voice drifted into my ears.

I could not answer. Perhaps I did not want to; perhaps I did not need to. Sighing, James came towards my trembling body. No… Don't let him touch me! _Don't let him_! My body slithered away from the steel eyed man. "No… No." I whimpered, clutching my stomach as I lay curled in a ball.

"Lily…"

He raised a hand toward me and I hissed at him. "Get away from me. Stop! Adam… Don't touch me!" I screamed, anguish laced through my words.

James eyebrow furrowed, and with a quick move I was in his lap, beating his chest with my fists. "Lily, stop." He mumbled, halfheartedly trying to grasp my wrists.

My fists soon lost their energy and instead clung to James' shoulders. Helpless tears spilled from my eyes, my body racking in sobs. Surprisingly, the chocolate haired man did not make a move to pull back; he just sat there until my tears died down to mere sobs and hiccups. "What happened?" He asked tenderly, and I was too delirious to notice the change in his behavior.

"Adam… cold blood. Murder. I'm a murderer…" My face was blank as he pulled back away from me.

"Adam is dead. You are no murderer." Looking back on this, I noticed he failed to confess that he was in fact the murderer. For the first time that night, my nonchalant eyes gazed upon his face. James…

"James." I whispered his name into his chocolate hair.

"Go back to bed." He said softly, pulling the covers over my slightly sweaty body. He was gone. Don't leave me James… I reached out a feeble hand to his retreating back.

* * *

"_You are to blame."_ The voice spoke again. Comforting… Cold. Horror. Fear. Tearing. Nipping. Scratching. Pain. Ice. Cold blooded murderer. Silver appeared in front of the fog. Eyes that gleamed of silver. Eyes that brought pain. Destruction. _"Murderer." _They whispered. _"Murderer. Murderer. Murderer. Murderer."_ The word became a chant, surrounding my ears, my head, my soul, devouring what was left of it. _"Murderer."_ The silver eyes repeated again and again. _Make it stop_! I thrashed out to no one. Met by dank, thick, fog. Blue steel. Looking. Burning. Touching. Searching. _"Murderer. Murderer. Murderer."_ Seared into my brain. "Murderer." I chanted. "Murderer. Murderer. Murderer." My voice quickened in pace and volume. "Murderer. Murderer. Murderer!" I laughed. Chilling. Numb. Joye. Conniving silver. 

I woke up laughing hysterically.

* * *

The next morning, my body whimpered from the lack of food, but the bed was warm and comfortable. James had not slept with me that night, not to my surprise.

Groggily, I went down to breakfast to meet none other than Tom Riddle. He looked at me unsympathetically. His eyes… I knew that color. They were steel. Shucking in a rather large amount of air, I backed out of the dining area, stumbling over chairs as I went. I couldn't let my eyes waver from the cold blue steel. They were burning inside of me, tearing, clawing at my insides; trying to get me to scream out… But I wouldn't; oh how wrong Tom Riddle was.

Finally. I reached the end of the dining hall that seemed so far away and I made no hesitation to push open the large door that led out to the dock. Salty air filled my lungs, calming my hysterically beating heart. What had Tom done to me? His eyes haunted me throughout the day, which was spent mostly in my quarters, staring at a blank piece of parchment. Why did I want to write anything down? How would I describe my nightmares? It seemed impossible to even think of one word to describe them. Then, inspiration hit me like a vast current. My quill unsteadily scribbled down the first word to the description of my first dream. There in almost unreadable writing, lay the word _Eyes_… and as I stared at it, my pen shakily returned to the paper.

A/N: Dark, yes? Of course. Sorry if it was _too_ dark, but I had to get this idea out. Hmm. Well, regardless, I hope you all liked it to some degree! I put some JamesxLily action in there to make it seem less… um, depressing?

**Jingle-Bellz-ROCK-** I planned it that way! Uhm, maybe not. Thank you so much for the book info! I will have to go to the little library (yes, little) that we have and see if they have it. Ah, yes. Ignorant brothers and there cookie stealing ways. :bonks little brother on the head with a spatula:D

**PorcelainxDoll-** Thank you so much for the inspiring compliments! More romance will come! I promise. ;) Hopefully, I will write more LilyxJames stories, and I will look forward to having you read them. :)

**MissMyrtle360-** How many wenches, you ask? Ahh, he is a womanizer (another name for man whore... so you take your pick) :) . Yes, I do know that song! Lily isn't in Ireland quite yet. Maybe she will lash out, but then again, her morale is the lowest it has been. What evil thoughts in my head made me make James and Tom work together? The world shall never know. -sigh-

**missmagsak-** Thank you so much:D

**Pia-** A forced kiss that I'm sure she did not like! O.O Thank you!

**Lo-** Oh my. Are you sure you want this to be your favorite story? 0.0

**Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI-** Thank you, I appreciate your reviews! ;)

**the-one-and-only**- Indeed, indeed! There's the update! ;)

**SuperChic-** Thank you! Yes, it seems that we can never escape our own angst, does it?

**Erin-** I didn't even think of having Voldie in this story when I first started it. Oh my. What will my mind come up with next? O.O Yes, yes: fluent rambling is an art that has to be mastered! ;)

**the-honest-liar-** You're review made me laugh! ;) I'm so glad someone loves it! O.O

**Gray Faerie-** Ah! I'm sorry I used the old "blonde" cliché! If it offended you, I apologize! Thank you!

**laura-** Thank you. :D

**WolfGirlOfTheFlame-** Oh my goodness! I would never abandon this story! Eek! Sirius is mean indeed! Tom equals evil. :shudder:

**helen-** Ahh, thank you for telling me! Wasn't quite sure about that one, sorry!

**mb4-** Thank you! I'm glad that you love it! ;)

**LittleSunflower-** Thank you! One of the best ones? O.O

To all of the readers that do not review: **Thank you** also!

Shattered Serenity


	8. Majestic Light

A/N: An update! Yessss.I was on vacation in Sedona, Arizona, which is beautiful I must say. An artsy town, so I was in heaven when I went there. Ha. But alas, I wrote this chapter as soon as I got home so you, my dear reader, may have another chapter. Build up chapter, as I like to call it.

**_Disclaimer:_** I own nothing, except the cookies Fairy-MEGAMI gave me.

**Chapter Eight (oh my.)-** Majestic Light

* * *

I woke up gasping for air, tucked in my oversized bed. I couldn't sleep, this I knew. Slowly, I got up, blindly reaching for the oak door that stood across the room.

A blast of salty air hit my face, making my hair seem like fire and calming my sweating body. The ship was deserted, exempting a silhouette that faced the moon, apparently lost in thought. Even from that distance, I knew it was James. His tall figure, broad shoulder muscles, and uncontrollable hair always have given him away to me. I found my feet moving towards his slightly hunched figure, and a rush of adrenaline shot through my veins, making me wide awake.

"Lily." James said as I approached him, yet his back was still towards me. Strange.

"James." I acknowledged him. I hazily remember wearing a silk nightgown that dark, (maybe October?) night. Goosebumps trailed my arms, winding themselves around me body like a thick blanket.

"You're cold." He said, but made no movement to help me.

"Yes." I came to stand next to him, my hair blowing out behind me and my night dress clinging to my curves as the wind pressed against my thin body.

His hazel eyes flicked towards me once, before once more landing on the moon.

"Why do you hate me?" I asked tenderly, gripping the ropes with my shaky hands.

James' posture tightened to the point of where I thought he might break if one single soul touched him. His eyes now stared into the water, watching the moon's reflection as I stared at him.

It was as if I wasn't seeing James as an offender anymore… I was actually seeing him, his untouchable hair that flowed with the wind, his muscular frame that was due to hard days of work, and his remarkable hazel eyes that seemed to only glance at me once throughout the day.

He was gorgeous.

"James." I said, reaching out an arm towards him tightened frame.

"Don't." He said, now gripping the ropes with a death grip. "Just don't, Lily. Don't come out here and pretend that you don't loathe me. Right now you're just lonely."

Maybe he was right. Maybe I didn't want _him_, maybe I was pretending it was Adam.

Maybe is a strong word.

In that moment, hazel flickered to the deepest blue every imagined, then flickered back.

My throat was parched as I sucked in a gasp of air. "Maybe you're right." My gaze lingered on his frame before returning to the roaring waves. "Maybe."

"I know you miss Adam. I've seen you staring out into nothing. Like you've lost someone." His tone was slightly harsh, but it did not affect my calm mood.

"I have lost someone."

"I know that you sometimes see Adam in me. I've seen your gaze change as you look at me; don't think I'm stupid."

"I most certainly don't think that. And yes, I do see Adam in you, but looks is as far as you two come into comparison."

His form loosened, and his eyes bored into the side of my head as I stared into the skies.

"You don't know me."

It was a whisper, but I heard every word. "I know that you are a cruel man. But I know that you have a side that I care not to talk about."

A warm hand timidly touched my back, tracing my now healed scars lazily. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to concentrate on the azure waves as they foamed over.

"Do you care to talk about it now?" His breath came out in steam and my gaze followed the hot breath until out of site. His mouth was close to my skin, his hand sending fire through my body in a way I never thought possible. At least…not by him.

"No." I said with a surprising defiance. "I don't."

"A shame. I can be soft hearted, Lily. But you won't give me that chance." His hand came to lie on my hip as James took the position of standing behind me, his steamy breath coming out faster than usual.

"You killed Adam." I whispered, my head now upturned towards the star studded sky. Why was I letting him touch me? I thought as his arms circled around me, his chin now lying on my shoulder.

James let out a sigh that hit my neck, temporarily sending the goose bumps away. "He killed himself."

"That isn't true." I said, my body stiffening.

"Calm down, love." He drawled. "I checked his body, and found he had slit his wrists. Maybe to escape the pain? I don't know."

_He slit his wrists. _It echoed in my mind, recurring again and again.

Adam… why would you do that? Why would you sacrifice your life? What was the purpose? I survived… but you might not have. You knew…you knew that James wouldn't kill me. But why would you leave me alone?

"He," my voice choked. "I can't just forget about him." I finally finished with my voice coming down to a whisper.

"I know." James said, kissing the base of my neck before returning to my shoulder. "I know how you feel, Lily."

"No." I said. "No, you don't."

"I lost a woman that I once loved to an Irishman. He was richer than I, more sufficient. She left me for him."

I choose to be silent.

"Funny how you have Irish blood in you. She did too."

James retreated from my back to stand beside me once more.

Sighing, his hazel gaze drifted to the searing moon.

I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving him a timid smile which he did not return. "I'm sorry."

He snorted. "For what? I don't deserve your sympathy. I have hated your kind ever since."

"My kind?"

"Irish people."

The first thing I found James and I had in common: we each hated each other's blood relatives.

"I see." I said, my gaze returned to the ocean.

"I always thought you were beautiful." He said without glancing at me. "I despise how an Irishwoman can be so beautiful."

Once more, I choose to be silent.

"But sometimes…" James trailed, his eyes roaming my body. "I want to tie you to the four poster bed and have you right then and there."

"This being one of those times?" I carefully answered back.

He didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

"I see." I said again, a slight smile coming to my lips.

"But then other times," He continued without missing a beat. "I would rather just kiss you until your gorgeous little lungs ran out of air."

"And I assume that those times are when I am gazing out into nowhere."

"No." Surprised, my eyes floated back to James. "When you look at me like you are now."

I quickly turned my head back to the skies, leaving him to softly chuckle at me.

"You just make yourself all the more irresistible, Lily."

With horror, I found my cheeks changing a color that I care not to mention.

"Back to what you said before. The times when you gaze out into nowhere is when I want to make your gaze come to me. When I want to feel your eyes on me. It makes me feel special, you know." James added, slightly grinning at me.

"I'd better not do that anymore then." I said; the corners of my mouth twitched.

"When you do that…" He brought his thumb to trace my bottom lip. "It makes me want you even more than tying you to a bed and ravishing you."

"What is beyond that?"

For the first time that night, James faltered. "That, my dear Lillian, I cannot tell you, for even I have not figured it out."

"Hmm…" I replied, trying too hard not to touch his figure.

"But sadly, you wouldn't let me do any of those things to you, delightful as they would be."

"Who says I won't?" I responded, catching him off guard.

"Don't lead a bloke on. It isn't nice, Lily." James' fingers turned me towards him, letting my flickering gaze rest on his hazel eyes. "Especially when the said bloke wants to tie you to the pole behind you and have you right now."

"But I was being nice." I drawled. "I didn't kick you in the balls."

"Yes, I suppose you are right. But even so. You can't tempt me like this."

"Nonsense. I'm having the time of my life."

"You could have an even better time if you let me."

"Hmm… Let me think about it."

Becoming brave in this game of cat and mouse, I brought my hands to his hair, twirling a content finger through the black tangled mass.

"Lily." James' voice was hoarse. "Don't do that. I'm not sure what I'll do."

"Well, let's see." His forehead came to land on my shoulder while he leaned into me.

"I don't think that is such a good idea." James pressed his body closer to mine and I could feel the toned muscles beneath his thin, white night shirt.

"Come now, James. It is an excellent idea." I said in a whisper, running another hand through the black mop.

"Lily," He said in a raspy voice. "If you don't want to lose your virginity right now, stop it."

My hands immediately left his hair as James took a deep gulp of salty air.

"How do you know I'm a virgin?"

"The way you carry yourself. You don't even look at the men on this ship as they stare at you."

"Even so, I might not be."

"Dear, you are a virgin."

"And you know this because you have deflowered so many, correct?"

"Only two." He mumbled against my neck, slightly tugging on my red tresses.

"Only?"

"Mmhm."

"That is two too many."

"Jealous?" James laughed slightly, his hands tracing small shapes on my back.

"Yes."

"Could the pirate Lily Evans be feeling for James Potter?"

"No. It is lust."

He pulled back to look me in the eye. "That is the excuse I used when I first saw you."

"Nice line. Who did you get it from?"

"Myself. And it wasn't a line. It was the truth."

"I'm sure." I pulled away from him. "Goodnight James." My footsteps echoed as I felt his stare on my back, burning my soul.

* * *

A/N: A whole entire chapter dedicated to LilyxJames action. I hope you guys are happy! ;) Short, I know. -sigh-

**Helen-** Thank you! And I will. ;)

**MissMyrtle360-** Evil kid, indeed! -scoffs at brother and hits him on the head with yet another spatula- I read your thoughts, 'cause that's just how I work. -cough- Ha. I wish I had mad skills like that. -sigh- Thank you for the hug, it made me feel loved. :D True dat. Guys aren't worth it but yet I write romance stories. Woops. You shall see why he treats her bad! Well, you actually already did. Whew, I'm glad it wasn't too depressing. I thought it would put some people off. I agree, James' new title is womanizer instead of jackass. ;)

**Jingle-Bellz-ROCK-** Five hours of sleep? I would die of exhaustion, then snap at anyone who walks by me if I only got that much sleep. I laughed at that part, but put it in the chapter for kicks and giggles. Small world? Of course! I ran into my long lost neighbor's 16 year old daughter's dog in the street the other day and I thought, "What a small world." No, I really didn't, but that would've been weird. You put that song in my head after I read your review. AHHHHHH!

**Pia-** Ah! Where did I lose you? I'll explain. Lily was having dreams of Tom Riddle, and he kind of makes her go crazy in a way.

**Gray Faerie-** Ha. We can all have our moments. Supportive pat on the back for you.

**Brighton Baby-** Thank you! Yes, I finally put some L/J action in this thing.

**Little Sunflower-** Sorry I didn't update soon, but an update is better than nothing, eh?

**the-one-and-only-** I decided to sit back and have a breather from all the events. Trust me, trust me. Lily will kick some more ass in this story.

**WolfGirlOfTheFlame-** Thank you! And yes, those were Riddle's eyes. Sweet and James may now be put together for my story. ;)

**Fairy-MEGAMI-** Sorry, I had to shorten up your name a bit! ;) YES! I got cookies, and I didn't even have to make them! Hugs for you, dear.

**Erin-** Woooops. No darkness in this chapter. But! I'm sure more will come. MMMMMMhm, Tom is creepy in a stalker sort of way. HA. Don't worry, I always get giddy when I see my pen name after I have reviewed a story. Imagine if it was my name. Oh my.

**mb4-** Awesome? Aw, thank you!

**GSCer-** Ah! But suspense is a good element to have in a story! I hope this chapter wasn't as suspenseful. Yes, I was getting tired of all the action also, so I put in two thinking/emotional chapters.

**the-honest-liar-** Thank you! I don't know if it got better this chapter, but eh, it was an update right? And I had to get this out because I'm sure some people would slit my throat if I didn't. ;)

And to all of you who read and do not review: **Thank you!**

Shattered Serenity


	9. Homecoming

A/N: Wow. Please don't kill me. I would like to live out my life as a successful and famous surgeon. Pfffffffft. I WISH. A lot of college money is needed for that, and alas; I do not have it. :sniffs pathetically: And err…what else. Oh yes, I am back to doing a big event. It is…Well-I suppose you shall see, hmm? And I'm sorry if my writing style changed a bit, but it has been quite awhile… Enjoy!

_**Disclaimer**_: Except for the pitiful mass of homework that I have lying before me:glares at the scribbled on papers: I really don't own anything.

**Chapter Nine:** Homecoming

* * *

This was it. My emerald eyes locked onto the piece of land that was forming. I was going back to Ireland, to my home. "Home sweet home." I muttered bitterly, wrapping my arms around the billowing shirt that was mine. 

"Land ho!" A deep voice bellowed out over the vast sea that was being swallowed up quickly by the green land.

My back turned away from the sight with a depressing sigh as I trudged across the _Black Ship_ to my room, the door hitting its closure noisily. "Are you ready for the landing?" The voice made me jump, flicking my eyes over the room before they found James's lounging figure.

Flashes of nights ago seared into my brain, but I forced a smile onto my face and made a dash to my pitiful mass of a knapsack. "Yes." I replied evenly as James crossed the room, a slight saunter to his step.

"Just to let you know," He paused as his eyes regarded me carefully, "I will still be with you on land until we see the queen and king up close. I will take the ransom, then leave, and you will never see me again."

An unnecessary wariness crept over my tight form. "And what of Riddle?" My sharp question penetrated the thick air.

"He will be with us also." The dark haired man slowly said, a frown creasing his face.

"For the money." I stated dryly before passing the man before me up and swiftly opening the door. "Did my parents raise the bid?" Genuine curiosity shown in my face as I stood with my back to James.

"Yes. Two million shillings." His idle voice hardened my countenance, my back straight stiff as I glared at the salty air defiantly. If my parents really wanted me that bad, they would have sent out patrol ships. There was no way in hell that this ship had maneuvered the Irish navy.

My footsteps signaled my departure from the stuffy room. Well, the queen and king of Ireland did honestly think of me as dead, but what did they think of Adam? Did they just stamp his death certificate as uncertainly as they did mine? My mother was no fool, but yet she did not see me suffocating under the dresses and jewelry that I was given. Father was more easily persuaded, almost to the point where I could do anything to get what I wanted. Someone might have secretly coaxed him into thinking I was dead. The person that was most likely to do that was my cousin Fredrick (1). He would do anything for the throne; even murder his own sister that was a favorite among the court. Ruthless-but yet cunning-Fredrick was known for his hostility around Ireland, but it ended at my country's borders. No one outside Ireland dared talk about him lest my cousin hear about it. And if that happened, a hanging was assigned.

A resounding clunk of wood hitting wood brought me out of my thoughts as I saw the plank slightly bend from the weight it was carrying. Several men were walking swiftly across the plank's body, only stopping to roughly throw down the crates they were carrying before returning to the ship. The crates could be filled with food, supplies. My eyes warily regarded the boxed up wooden items. Why would the export supplies if they were not staying?

"Girl." Tom Riddle's blank voice rang clearly over the ship, my head snapping towards his direction. "Get off the ship and start walking to the castle." A growl of annoyance flowed towards me as I remained still. With an inaudible leer to the man, I hitched up the extravagant dress that I adorned and loudly clunked down the plank.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, I whirled around to wait for the others, but instead came into contact with James's body. "Get moving, Lily." He muttered to me darkly, his hazel eyes narrowing at my stiff posture.

I silently mimicked James and Tom's voices in my head before gloomily walking towards the thick lush of trees; the man who got me into this mess skillfully following my trail.

* * *

The breath hitching in my throat roughly, I stood and stared at the cracking gray stones of the castle, the light idly playing across my features. _Home_. The word echoed around me, enveloping me in a mixture of terror and suspense. Would my parents welcome me with open arms? Surely they would recognize their own daughter. I looked at my long red hair and pale skin. I was the perfect example of an Irishwoman. But a princess? My fingernails were caked with dirt, and my hair had remained uncombed for most of my journey. I reeked of salt, the ocean providing its own aroma for me. 

My gaze flicked back towards the tall gates that were slowly opening up as I tugged nervously on the sleeve of my dress. A roaring wave of fear gripped my heart as I was pushed forward for taking too long. With nervous and clumsy steps, my feet finally stopped before the throne room's entrance. Oh my Lord. I was home. I was back in Ireland.

A sigh of impertinence filled my ears as James sauntered forward and pushed open the large, heavy, dark doors roughly. Riddle was at his heels, nipping words at the younger man's back that he was not going fast enough for him and to hurry it up. It seemed that the gold was the only thing flooding their brains as I stood their, a shocked look on my face as I examined the refurnished room with awe. The tapestries were still the same royal blue that I remembered, but they held fine golden strands woven throughout them. Almost in a dream-like state, I followed my instincts and pushed through the threshold of the huge doors.

There stood my cousin, Fredrick, sneering at an amused James and a frowning Tom. The click of my heels brought the red haired man to flick his gaze towards me. With a snort of incredulity, his face contorted at the sight of me. It was no surprise that my cousin was not happy to see me. "You're dead." He said loudly to the empty throne room.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms protectively over my chest. "Yes, Fredrick, I am the living dead." My tone was as sardonic as his next comment.

"You look like it."

"Thanks." I muttered dryly before the clicking of my heels echoed around the large, elaborate room once more. "Where are my father and mother?"

I came to stand before him in full height, James's gaze burning into the side of my face. "You're dead." He repeated, and I thought about smacking his pale cheek until it was bruised. "Leave. You have no place here anymore."

"Like hell I don't." I sneered at him.

"So, being a pirate really did rub off on you then, dear cousin?"

My look of shock made him laugh ardently at the empty space between us. "You knew…" My voice trailed as I gazed at him uncertainly. "How did you know?"

"Do you honestly believe that I would let the heir of the throne get away in the middle of the night without a consort?" He laughed lightly again. "Dear, dear Lily. I knew you ran away the night you left." His gaze flicked towards James, then rested of Riddle. "And I know of your ransom also. But you see, it is not going to work, you disgusting thieves." His tone made me want to rip out his voice box and feed it to the snarling dogs that were itching for food. "Your father and mother are dead. Killed by the hands of a murderer who has not been discovered yet."

My gaze burned Fredrick's flesh, searing into his eyes with contempt. "You bastard." I snarled out, my hands gripping and releasing as I stared at him. "You killed them."

"I wouldn't say _I _personally killed them. But I had some degree to enforcing the plan, yes." A hand held my rage ridden body as my eyes flicked to the inhibitor before coming to land on James's placid face.

"Look, asshole, let me go. I will kill this son-of-a-"

"Now, cousin!" Fredrick interrupted gently. "No use of bad language in the throne room, please." He made his way to the throne and lazily traced a finger of the red silk that covered the back of the seat. "Let me remind you Lily, who sits here in this very moment." I gaped at him, the message finally clicking with me. "King Fredrick does have a nice ring to it; does it not?"

"No. Not really." I hissed at him with blazing eyes my agitated will barely refraining my tightened fists. "I think Asshole Fredrick sounds better."

He frowned darkly at me from his position, and then an elated grin found itself on his face as the hazel eyes he adorned gazed at something in the corner. "Do come out, Alicia. It is only appropriate to meet your cousin-in-law." Shy steps sounded as the girl, Alicia, carefully stepped out of the shadows. Her dark brown hair glistening and her bright blue eyes twinkling attentively, she stopped nervously in front of me, giving me a stiff curtsy. I did not return the gesture.

"Cousin-in-law." I repeated with a monotone as my gaze pierced hers. "So you're his bitch?"

She inhaled sharply, the twinkling blue eyes smoldering into fury. But with an expertise pseudo smile quickly plastered across her pretty face. "No, his wife." As if it wasn't that obvious since Fredrick had brightened up like the sun under a good hydrogen day.

"Wonderful." James finally interjected in a drawl. "Can I have my money now?"

Alicia's sharp blue gaze turned towards, giving him a look over before giving me an appreciative glance. Why was it that every single female that I have ever met with James assumes we are together? "Indeed." Tom remarked dryly, his eyes traveling up Alicia's slim form.

"Ah, yes." Fredrick clapped his hands together, his happy mood brightening considerably. "I must pay you for my sister's assassination."

"Assassination?" My whisper of disbelief was soft as my searing eyes burned holes through hazel. "You were planning on killing me?"

James opened his mouth to retort, but my cousin beat him to it. "Don't have a tantrum, Princess Lily. I wanted to assassinate you. When I had gotten the letter that you were to be returned to Ireland with a bid of one million pounds or higher, I knew I had to get rid of you for good." He paused as his gaze flicked approvingly towards the dainty figure of Alicia. "But for your gold, it is being brought here right in this instant, unless Alicia forgot to give the orders."

It seemed as if all Alicia's shyness was wiped away as she gave her husband a sharp look. "I did not forget." Her voice was a restrained; she obviously had a vicious temper like me.

"Good." My cousin cooed to her. The big, dark wooden door that had been our exit echoed multiple footsteps along with the clink of metal. "Right on time." He happily clapped his hand together as he had before. "James Potter and Tom Riddle: I give you two million pounds each." As soon as Fredrick's voice had faded away, a dozen men hauled crates of clinking noises to the room and set them down roughly. "Each box contains 100,000 pounds, so you each get ten."

It seemed as if the room was flooded with Tom's men as he called for them. How had they followed us without giving warning to the drawbridge soldiers? Would they not take offense to the dirty and ragged clothing. I visibly blanched at my captor's assistants. They would have had to kill the guards to get in the throne room…

When the boxes were all hauled out, the only people that remained were myself, Tom, James, Alicia, and my grinning cousin. "Go, dear. See to our bedroom." With a stiff curtsey and a sympathetic-and almost empathetic-look sent my way, the graceful heiress to the throne swept across the room and left with a bang of the door. "Now, honestly, I would like to-"

A click of a gun brought my eyes to widen at the black mechanical weapon. My eyes traveled up to the gun's master's arm before landing on the frowning face of Tom Riddle, his eyes heavy with annoyance. "I think I have had my use for you." In a flash, he pulled another gun to round on James before idly shooting Fredrick down.

I quickly stepped forward, but was silenced when the gun that had shot my cousin brought its empty hole to look at me, my throat constricting tightly. The smoking gun was aimed straight for my heart.

"I also have no use for you." Voldemort sneered.

* * *

A/N: Major cliffhanger! Heh heh. I hope that was good. / And do tell me what you thought of it! As for the review replies, I can't do ALL of them, because wow! I got 55 for the last chapter, and my story would be kicked off. Ironic that I get 55 when I don't update. :pats chin in thought: Interesting... 

Muchos gracias to:

-blessed-indian-rose576, Brooken Wings, Laughing Maniac, Lovmysr, Slytherin Luvver, TigerLily141, Oo Soul of Fire oO, Animals are my LIFE, Bohemian Pirate, Star12345, FreedomStar, misstoxic, SpAzZzZzAtTaCk, lilmimistar, boiz9, mb4, xXfire PhoEnixXx, starburstsweetie, Helen, jenn, Ethuiliel, Blood Red Potter, the-one-and-only(Eeek! Sorry about the update rate!), XXXpinkkitty5467, Chelle692, soft N' fluffy, misha1989, Beebs, wizemunkee006, Julia, dolphin girl, SadieBabe0102, (blank name) O.O, the-honest-liar, J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Hello again!), angelofmynightmare, twighunter, blue-knickers (HA.), Hurleygurl, Brighton Baby, MaD-4-u, pia, Gray Faerie, WolfGirlOfTheFlame, what my parents gave me..., Katty03, Tearful Sins, MagikMishiefMaker, Little Sunflower, Ivy Climbing, -black-stars-006

-Miss Myrtle 360- :glomps reviewer in a massive hug: I am SO sorry for the long update. Juggling school and practice is quite difficult, but I got this out... Finally. You were my first faithful reviewer :tear, so please tell me what you thought of this chapter!

-Jingle-Bellz-ROCK- :glomps other faithful reviewer in a massive hug: Eep, sorry about this! But, I have good news. I got that song stuck out of my head (well, after four months, I think it would be...), and my cookies are steaming and in tact! Yess! Thank you so much for being one of my faithful reviewers so far!

THANK YOU; ALL OF YOU! You guys make me happy, seriously. If I missed you, get your frying pan out and ready. :D

Until next time (which hopefully won't be too far away),

Shattered Serenity


	10. Puzzles

**A/N:** Uhm... Hi? I know I took forever with this update, but I thought long and hard about this chapter, and I couldn't quite come up with something that I actually liked and was able to work on. I turned many ideas into maybe one page chapters, but when this idea came up, I thought about it and decided to go with it. Surprisingly, it took me only a day to write this, and I know you all are impatient, so I will deliever it to you the day that I write it. Which, by the way, is not what I'm used to anymore. Usually, I go over it for a few days and fix any mistakes that I catch or plot points I want to change. Sorry if there are any mistakes. And as always, enjoy!

**Chapter Ten:** Puzzles

* * *

So, there I was, standing with a gun barrel pointed to my face, and all I could think about was that this Riddle guy really needed to start polishing his guns more. Now, of course I was absolutely terrified, but my mind sometimes tends to slip off when heading in the general direction of hysteria if I let myself dwell on the feeling for too long. I was doing what I would normally be doing facing a situation where I was in immediate danger and there was no way out. I was standing there and berating Voldemort's lack of cleaning skills. 

I gave a hurried glance towards James, who-completely in contrast to me I might say-was looking at the gun as if it had started to morph into a rabid mermaid that was trying to entice him.

…Or something. Honestly, that was just my hysteria-avoiding mind not acknowledging the fact that James was too scared to do anything. So I chose to ignore that look and turn my stare back to the rather dirty gun. And then, as my head tilted to the side a centimeter, I thought of how dirty his hand had to be from holding that gun.

"The great Lily Evans without a word to say to me before she dies?"

My gaze shifted towards the steely eyes. "Not…" My tone seemed to be more curious than frightened, "…really."

I cleared my throat after an awkward moment. This situation was supposed to be a fear inducing, adrenaline rushing experience that I would never forget. But right now, I felt strangely solid. As if time had halted and had stopped to commend Lily Evans on a life she would never have. Since when have I been easy to give up? I stared at the dirty gun again. Since Voldemort had suddenly started to pull a weapon to my face and ask me for my last words.

The feeling of emptiness just seeped out of my core into my whole body, I suppose, because one minute I was contemplating the gun and the next I was staring at Death. This really was the end. It wasn't going to change, and it wasn't going to go away. Adam wouldn't save me, and James wouldn't save me. Elise would be left alone-if she was even alive, and I would be standing here-just like I am now-staring at nothing.

I wouldn't make any accomplishments. I wouldn't save anyone's life. I wouldn't be the person I was meant to be. It was the night on the _Black Ship_ all over again. My gaze wafted towards James, and I could see the helplessness in his expression. I wouldn't get to know James more fully. Sure, we had talked, but it hadn't been like the talks Adam and I used to have aboard the ship, laughing at random things that came to our minds. One was carrots, but I digress.

Mentally, I tried to get myself to at least fight this. To at least have other people whisper that Lily Evans went out with a bang (more appropriately, a gun bang), but I couldn't get my mind to wrap around a plausible thought before it strayed into the past again. Stayed into what could have been, should have been, would have been.

If I had only gotten to Adam a moment sooner, we would have been laughing and joking.

If I had only not taken James as a prisoner, Elise could have been right here next to me.

If I had given into James last night, I would have been tied to a pole and possibly ravished, and then deserted.

It was like dropping a pebble into a still pond and watching the ripples contort and continue on, with me having nothing to stop their change in motion.

On the other deep end of the antagonist-protagonist spectrum, Voldemort wasn't saying anything, either. Maybe he was just soaking up his moment of glory? Getting a million pounds was something to gloat over, wasn't it?

I suppose…when it came down to it, that was what my life was priced at.

A gurgled choke brought me to saunter my gaze to Fredrick, whose body was curled up in a fetal position, clutching at the wound buried in his left shoulder. Apparently, Voldemort's aim was a little off. From the corner of my eye, I saw James shift nervously while Riddle followed my gaze to the bloody body. _Now James, now…_ But he didn't move, he only fidgeted again and ran a hand through his hair. "You're still alive?" The man holding the gun, all the power, raised a delicate eyebrow. "I must practice my aim more when I get the time." As I was fixated on Fredrick hurling thick, condensed globs of blood, he turned back towards me with a slight sigh. "Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Evans?"

It wasn't surprising when I found that I didn't speak, just stared at Fredrick while he regurgitated himself from the inside out.

"And you, Mr. Potter?" Without taking the gun away from pointing at my face, Voldemort addressed James in a polite, almost casual manner. "Do you believe that I have a certain lack of ability?"

I was sure, without even looking at James, that his eyes were caught in a large round position, betraying his fear to Riddle. It wasn't surprising, either, when James answered him with silence. Fredrick, now completely drained, gurgled more blood from the corners of his mouth, and went back to the previous fetal position. I wasn't happy about Fredrick currently dying, but neither was I jumping to his rescue.

Softly sighing through my nose, I shifted again and brought myself to look upon the startled face of James. He wasn't looking at me, but he was rather alertly staring at Riddle. So, the man did have his faults.

Slowly, I realized this was being awfully drawn out. Shouldn't he have killed us by now? Shot us to death with his dirty gun and ran for the nearest exit with his one million pounds? It made my eyebrows furrow and my jaw start working. "So," I started, not exactly sure how to say this (I felt more awkward than afraid), "if you are going to kill us," could I say this any slower? "then why haven't you done so?" Now, I didn't mean to attract any more attention to my rapidly shortening lifespan, but at least it was an honest question.

And then, I saw it. Voldemort hesitated. "Indeed, Ms. Evans, indeed."

Not quite the answer that I was expecting, or for that matter looking for. "Indeed…" I repeated slowly.

This seemed to make James come back down to the planet Earth with a crash and stumble. "You're…you're not killing us." He looked positively befuddled. "…Why?"

With both of our gazes warped onto him, I guess Voldemort started to become anxious. His hand that was currently holding the gun tightened its grip. "Mr. Potter, this is not a time to be talking."

As if in water, my head slowly tilted a second time. What _could_ he be waiting for? It wasn't as if he needed us to move any crates; all of them had been moved by his crew. He didn't need us for handling the ship; again-he had his crew to take care of that. He was stalling…and I couldn't figure out why. A piece of the puzzle was missing. A big, large, unmistakably important piece was hidden, and it was hidden just over the filthy gun that he was holding. "Not the time for talking…" I trailed, repeating his words once more. Riddle gave me a look that almost spelled out the word fear as I took a steady step towards him. I could hear James take in a large amount of air at my boldness, and I didn't blame him. _I _didn't know what I was doing; much less taking a step towards the object that could end my life at any moment. "What are you hiding?" I whispered more to myself than to anyone else in the room.

James eyes practically bulged and expanded at the sudden contact of air in his lungs.

"Tom Riddle…" I slowly said. "That is your name, correct? You're full name?"

His steely eyes lost their composure for a brief second. "My name has nothing to do with your lives."

I closed my eyes for a second; picking up the pieces that were my mind and sorting them out before I looked back at him. "Your name is the missing piece."

James looked just about as confused as Voldemort did. "Lily, what are you rambling about?" But I put a hand to stop him from asking anymore questions. I didn't need a distraction right now, and right now James was a huge distraction. "You're not making sense. Your thinking is illogical, Evans. You need to snap out of it and-"

"James." I quietly interrupted him, shifting towards him and giving him a cool stare. "Quiet."

His jaw muscles clenched and his eyes narrowed, but nonetheless he emitted nothing but silence.

"Good." I consented.

Tom Riddle… Tom Riddle… I turned back towards Voldemort. What are you hiding, dear Tom? Your name…your full name is not really Tom Riddle, is it? I knew that name from somewhere…_I knew._ But it wasn't the full name; it was only part of the map that leads me to the missing piece of the puzzle. Heels snapped uneasily as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. My mind was reeling through the history lessons that had been branded into the Princess Lily. I prayed to the heavens as I did my search of mind that somehow, these lessons would pay off and we would figure it out. I bit my lip in total concentration and shifted the weight to the other heel again. Saint Patrick, Blarney Stone-how the castle around it burnt down in c. 1820, and then, Tom Riddle Fleming… The story came back to me full force, and I wanted to cry and let out a shout of joy at the same time.

"Tom Riddle Fleming…" I whispered, in shock and looking at the man behind the gun.

He seemed to choke and tighten his tenacious grip on the gun. "That's-that's not my name!" He shouted, and the sentence echoed in the large room until fading out into the distance. The only noise was coming from Fredrick's strangled, harsh gasps and coughs of blood.

"Tom Riddle Fleming?" James repeated, flabbergasted. "What does that name have to do with anything?"

My mind was starting to clear, and I looked upon Tom with a new conviction. "Tom Riddle Fleming, Elizabeth Fleming, was married to my father. James…" I turned to look at him fully, realizing that Voldemort would do nothing in his current state. "…you have to realize that my father was a good man. He-he was!" At my earnest expression, all James could do was nod and look even more confused. "He married Elizabeth, and they had a perfect marriage for five years. My father was her senior by only two years, and everyone thought that they would last forever. During the course of their third year of marriage together, Elizabeth gave birth to a baby." I shifted and looked straight into Voldemort's eyes. "A baby boy."

"Stop this at once!" He screamed at me, but his hand was violently shaking to the point that whether or not he wanted to, Riddle wouldn't be able to get a straight one shot to kill me.

"And…and they named their new baby boy Tom. Now, as it is with most marriages, Elizabeth took her husband's surname, so at first the baby's name was Tom Riddle Evans. They raised the boy together for a contented year… but when the yearly banquet of the high courts came about…" I paused and retracted to fill James in better. "You see, James, my father was prince at the time. My grandfather was a sickly man anyways," I almost stopped with my explanation, the picture of my grandfather lying on his deathbed so perfect, "so he was expected to die soon." I whispered and turned my full attention back to the trembling hand and gun. "So… obviously, my father and Elizabeth were elated to know they already had an heir to the throne. But, as I previously said, the yearly banquets came about, and that's where my father met…" Taking a deep breath, I could feel my own hands start to shake. "It's where my father met my mother. He told me he called on her every dance he could, and about six months after they had been seeing each other secretly, they fell in love. My father started to drift away from the family that he already had…and gravitated towards my mother. He would always tell me how he thought she was the beautiful woman alive, and that if anything happened to her, he wouldn't know what to do." My eyes clouded over with memories. "Eventually, my grandfather, being Protestant, agreed with my father's plea to divorce Elizabeth." I took another break and scrutinized Riddle's expression: horror of his past. "Naturally, Elizabeth was hurt and shocked, but after the marriage of my parents, something inside her snapped. She became resentful of my father, and when they were crowned king and queen it became worse. Elizabeth took back her original surname Fleming, and changed the boy's also." Sadness enveloped my voice for the pair. "Her baby boy grew up with a feeling of hatred towards us before he could even meet us. And the rest, as the people that once knew her say, is gone. Elizabeth Fleming left Ireland one day, telling no one of her intent. She just left. And never came back…" I choked up and looked at Riddle. "Baby Tom grew up as a bastard in everyone's eyes."

The gun was teetering on the verge of being thrown out of Riddle's hand if he wouldn't stop shaking so harshly. "I hate you…" He clenched his teeth. "I hate you so much."

The puzzle piece slid into place with a click.

It wasn't my puzzle anymore. It was Tom's.

"You planned this out from the beginning…" I whispered, stepping closer to the trembling gun. In movements where Tom jerked the gun more forcefully than others, the end of the barrel would just barely clip my clothes. "You wanted to kill my whole entire family, didn't you?" I softly said, feeling pity go out for him.

"You're _fucking_ cousin got to them before I did." He sneered, and I could tell he was losing his calm composure fast.

I took another step. The quivering barrel was now touching my breastbone. "You were so angry that you just wanted to kill Fredrick right then, didn't you? And when he hired you two," I flicked my gaze to James quickly, "you figured that you could at least get paid for killing me off. Why not make two million and kill James, too?" In the short distance, I could see James's mouth slightly hang open and staring at me. "You've wanted this for years." I put a steady hand on the gun, stopping its movements. "So why not do it? Why do you hesitate? You're considered a bastard by the court, making you illegible for the throne. You're a cover-up the government just wants to forget, so what do you have to lose?"

Maybe if Fredrick would have kept a steady attention in our Irish history class, he would have been in my position. Like I have previously said, maybe is a strong word to use in the past tense of would have, should have, and could have's.

But even before Riddle could think about shooting me, James had shifted the tides and snapped the gun out of Tom's hands. And in slow motion, he came to point the gun right at Riddle's own breastbone. But the latter was just staring at me with a look that I couldn't-wouldn't-decipher. From the sidelines, I saw Tom's puzzle jerk and alter. "Look, you bloody psychopath, you're going to give me my fucking money, and Lily and I are going to leave. Where the hell did you hide-"

"No James." I softly whispered. "I'm not leaving Fredrick or Tom alone. I'm not leaving with you." Couldn't he see? I was guilty of all my father did, of all he had done to Tom and Elizabeth. I was guilty of Tom's pain. I was the offspring of his pain.

He stumbled with his words, "Yes…you are, Lily. You are leaving with me, and we are going to leave before this whole fucking mess gets blown up even more. And right now, I don't need that. What I need it my damn money and my bloody ship."

"I'm not leaving with you." I repeated in a calm, soft voice. "James, I deserve death just as much as Tom does."

"_What?_" He screamed out, pointing an exasperated finger towards Riddle. "You are no where close to that man when it comes to being guilty. Sure, your father was a bit on the cheating side-"

"James." I interjected calmly. "If you're going to shoot Tom, then you're going to have to shoot me."

He laughed hysterically. "What in the bloody hell are you saying Lily!"

"I deserve his fate. I was the one that drove his hate to what it is now. Don't you see?" I said softly, desperately pleading with him. "I was to become queen when I had married, when Tom would have already been king. I'm guilty."

The gun lowered a bit, then straightened back to a steady aim for Riddle's heart. "Looking what you've fucking done to her."

Ironically, Tom chose to be silent just as we had minutes before. Except then, we were the ones with Death running in our minds and the gun pointed at us. Just as I was about to interfere and take the gun away from James, the man with all the power, with the black revolver, shot straight into the heart of the human opposite him.

Blood splattered on the side of my face that had been facing Riddle, leaving tiny red dots to anoint my arm. Slowly, my eyes widened at James's shaking figure, before quickly turning to look at Tom on his knees, his hands clutching the openly bleeding wound. A pond of crimson soon flowed with Fredrick's blood, swirling and mixing like oil and water. Touching, but never truly combining. Voldemort look into my eyes with pure, unmasked hatred as my throat tightened. "I hate you." He spat, heaving for air. "I _hate_ you."

I dropped to my knees in the swirling combination of Fredrick and Tom's blood, the thick liquid soon soaking my clothes. "I'm sorry." I whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." With one last look of hatred towards me, his body dropped lifelessly onto the ground, still bleeding but unmoving. His head was turned towards me, his cold eyes still open, and I knew that the look of abhorrence would be fixed upon his face forever.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so what did you think? Did you like it? Or do you think I should change it? Have I gotten better, or worse? **_And no this will not be the last chapter._** Probably two (possibly three, but I'm not sure yet) more to tie up some loose ends that I have just dangling there. 

**_A big HUGE thank you to all of you who reviewed. I feel so honored to have people actually like this drabble!_**


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